The Life Game
by TwinTrouble
Summary: Hatake Sakumo has a kind heart, so he didn’t think twice about taking on the orphan child of his old teammate. However, when that child happens to be an Uchiha, things start to get messy as he must balance work, custody battles and his own young son.
1. Prologue

Twin1: **Warning**: This first chapter gets very dark very abruptly. Yes, it contains copious amounts of OC's, but that's just because Kishimoto hasn't brought these characters – which have to exist, btw, like Obito's parents – into the cannon. So I created them. Also, watch out for the T-rating to jump up and kick you in the shins. This prologue does contain Swearing, Severe Screwing With Main Characters, Attempted Rape, Domestic Abuse, and (of course) Mass Culling of OC's. This will clear up by chapter one, I promise, once most damage has been done and/or most OC's are successfully six feet under.

**This story is about Obito and Kakashi!!!**

The whole story is based around the two chibis, okay? The prologue centres around their parents and gets the whole thing up to the starting point. For you OC-haters out there, don't worry, by the end of chapter two AT THE LATEST all OCs will be nicely dealt with (read: culled mercilessly). For those who just 'don't do' romance, there actually is none in this story, though the prologue contains two marriages. (Wince) I must be screwed up, ne?

Twin2 would also like to put in a request that anyone who spots any spelling, grammar or punctuation errors reports them to her immediately, as she's gone over this twice with a fine-toothed beta comb and, as she has also betaed two chapters for _Dogtags _and a oneshot today, her head hurts, and she's worried she's missed something.

Very well. Carry on.

----

Prologue:

April third, in the forty-seventh year after the founding of Konohagakure, the Uchiha compound was abuzz with a kind of excitement that infested populations and spread. Today was the day Uchiha Masa, daughter of the line of Uchiha Gen, was to be wed with Uchiha Tamasine, a direct descendant from Uchiha Madara's second son.

The Clan was busy, everyone working to prepare for the ceremony, setting up the courtyard, stringing decorations, adding the finishing touches to the home the newlyweds would inhabit. Everyone rushed from one thing to the next, the palatable anticipation in the air making the dullest task exhilarating.

Masa herself was settled in the converted sewing-to-dressing room in her grandmother's house, tucked safely away from the chaos like a china doll stored in its box until the little children had been shooed outside.

She certainly looked the part: dressed in a traditional wedding kimono that had taken four women and three hours to correctly put on. It was tailored, beautiful, silken, with red and gold details to accent the off-white, and small dragons chasing themselves around the hem – a personal touch Masa had begged for. The Uchiha fan was displayed prominently on each sleeve.

Quiet echoed in the room, and Masa stared at her powder-white face in the mirror contemplatively, her fingers twisting in her lap as she resisted the urge to tug at her perfectly arranged hair as the pins holding it up off her neck pricked at her scalp.

If she was honest with herself, she was a little excited, a little frightened, and a lot nervous. She just hoped that she could get through this without offending anyone.

A world away, a young man leant casually against the outside of the stone wall that encircled the Uchiha compound, gazing down the street with bored grey eyes. After a moment, he pushed off from the brick structure and ambled down the street, unhurried.

Then, quite suddenly, he changed direction – so fast, one blink and an observer would miss it, he dodged around a corner and slid under a bush growing close to the boundary there, pushing his body underneath it to drag himself through the hole in the wall there, cursing fluently all the way as he found his shoulders were far broader than the last time he had tried this (damn growth spurts) and he was now no longer child-sized and as such could not easily fit through such a small space.

His struggle was worth it, however, as he soon found himself on the inside of the Uchiha compound, perfectly hidden in the alley between two houses, totally out of sight of any passing Uchiha.

Following a well-rehearsed path that kept him out of sight expertly, the man wound his way through the compound, avoiding the inhabitants with the ease of a cat burglar. Skipping over two rooftops and sliding down a drainpipe, he was there, slipping in an open widow and landing gracefully on plush green carpet with a thump.

Masa jumped at the noise and jerked around, dark eyes widening as she saw the intruder who had appeared so abruptly in her dressing room.

"Sakumo!" she gasped. He straightened and grinned at her.

"Heya, Masa," he said, flicking his hand in a wave. There was a shocked pause, before Masa exhaled, leaning back in her chair.

"Heaven, Hatake, you startled me," she breathed, watching as he came closer to lean against the wall near her.

"I was just coming to say hi," he said, reaching a gloved hand to examine the bowl of fruit on Masa's dresser.

"Hi," Masa replied dryly, slapping the hand away before folding under puppy-eye influence and handing him an orange. "You do know I'm due to be married in half an hour, right? If anyone finds you here, you'll be in so much trouble."

Sakumo 'hm'ed, expertly peeling the orange in such a way that it wouldn't squirt juice on anyone. Masa frowned at him.

"What do you mean, 'hm'?" she asked playfully. Sakumo glanced at her, before looking away.

"Just, you know, 'hm'." He shrugged and placed a segment of orange in his mouth. Masa stood and moved closer to him, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.

"Uh-uh. That might have worked when we were eleven, but it won't work now. What do you mean 'hm'?"

Sakumo grinned at the young woman standing a head shorter than him. "You had such a big crush on me," he said reminiscently. "And look at you now, about to be married."

"And you still think you can get away with changing the subject like that," she said pityingly. "Pathetic. Admittedly, it does work on every-other-but-two of Konoha's population, but you should know that ten years on a team with you has taught me to converse with you rather well. Some genius _you_ are. And don't give me that look: I taught it to you."

Sakumo abandoned his award winning I'm-hurt-how-could-you-even-suggest-that-I-am-anything-less-than-a-perfect-angel look, breaking into a grin again as he conceded defeat to his friend.

"Who are the other two?" he asked. Masa surveyed him critically.

"The Hokage and Kita, of course," she said, naming Sakumo's wife of thirteen months. Then her tone changed and she tilted her head, looking up at her friend questioningly. "Seriously, 'Kumo. Why are you here?"

Sakumo shrugged uncomfortably, moving to pace to the other end of the room, putting distance between them.

"I just… I don't think you should be getting married," he blurted, reaching to rub at his neck absently, glancing at Masa's face before his gaze was averted. Masa sighed, her concern vanishing in an instant.

"Is that what this is about?" she asked, sinking back down on the padded stool before her dresser. "Sakumo, we've been through this. I have known Tamasine-san for years. He is a strong shinobi, and a good man. He will make a fine husband."

"You don't love him, Masa," Sakumo said simply. Masa sighed, her hand reaching up to touch the beautiful ruby necklace Tamasine had given her as a wedding present.

"It's an arranged marriage, 'Kumo," she said, looking at Sakumo's reflection in the mirror as he came to stand behind her. "I don't have to."

"But that's-" Sakumo began to protest, but Masa cut him off.

"We can't all be you and Kita, Hatake," she said, and she saw by the resigned acceptance on Sakumo's face that he had given up trying to convince her otherwise. With a sad smile, she stood and turned, standing on tiptoes to peck his cheek. "You're a good friend, 'Kumo," she said. "Always looking out for me. But you don't have to protect me from this – this is just the way things are in my clan."

With a heavy sigh, Sakumo put his fear away and smiled, successfully lifting the atmosphere to try and match the excited air outside. "Hey, you sure I can't come?" he asked, his voice now lighter and more jovial. Masa grinned up at him, her own spirits lifting as she responded to his change. "See you turned off?"

"I'm sorry, Sakumo," she said sincerely, "I _did_ try, but Tamasine-san and the elders were adamant that this be a family-only affair."

Sakumo pouted like a four year old. "But you saw _my_ wedding," he whined. Masa put her hands on her hips and tried to look severe.

"No. We Uchiha are very traditional. You are not attending my wedding ceremony. You and Kita are both welcome to come to the public reception in a week's time, but for now you need to honour my elders' decision."

Sakumo huffed. "Ah, fine. Stuffy old…" he muttered.

"Sakumo!" Masa hit his chest, and he caught her hands, laughing. She joined in, and then squeaked as Sakumo suddenly caught her and hugged her close.

"Good luck, 'Asa," he whispered to her, and she was squeezed once more before he let her go. She smiled at him, a little of her former panic returning to her, making Sakumo draw her back into his arms. "You'll be okay," he murmured, rubbing her back. "If you ever get into trouble, just call. And today at the shrine, you think about the wrinkles I've left in your clothes by hugging you, and remember that I'm outside the compound, rooting for you."

Masa giggled, and Sakumo let her go, stepping away from her. She saw his encouraging smile, and then he was gone, out the window and vanished.

She had a moment of quiet, before the door opened and a gaggle of women spilled in, her aunts and grandmothers and mother and elder, female cousins.

"Masa? We're ready for you now," one said, reaching for her.

Masa glanced once at the empty window, before she turned back and smiled.

"Okay," she said. "I'm ready."

**-?-**

It was January, and the air was cool as it blew through the Uchiha compound, blowing the leaves and spreading the smell of flowers.

Masa was in the kitchen of the house she had tried for ten months to make a home with her new husband. At this exact moment, she was baking, busily cutting gingerbread men out of dough and opening the oven carefully, cautious of her protruding belly.

Tamasine would kill her if he found she had burnt herself – or, more accurately, if she had burnt her stomach. She had already managed it several months ago ironing, and he had been furious for days.

As if picking up on her agitation, the little one inside her kicked and Masa winced, her hand reaching to rub at her swollen abdomen.

"You sure are an active one," she said to the empty kitchen. "Go easy on mama, little one, okay?"

She placed her tray of cookies in the oven and closed the door securely, giving a little gasp as her baby got a good one in on her kidneys.

"Hey!" she frowned reproachfully at The Bump, hands on her hips. "I thought we had a deal. You behave, mister!"

A voice spoke up behind her. "You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

Masa started violently, spinning around with wide eyes to stare up at the man who had obviously broken into her house, her arms flying to encircle her belly instinctively.

"Sakumo," she gasped, unable to relax her protective stance. "What are you doing here?"

His sun-kissed face broke into a broad grin and he suddenly grabbed her, spinning her around as he announced, "I'm going to be a father!"

Masa gasped again, this time in delight at the news. "Really?! Sakumo, that's wonderful! I didn't even know you were trying!"

Sakumo rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, not all pregnancies are planned," he said dryly. "But I am _so_ psyched, anyway."

Masa smiled. "I bet," she said. "And Kita is delighted too, I take it?"

"You know, I haven't seen her so excited since the weapon shop started selling blue powder bombs," he replied. Masa laughed and turned to wipe her hands on a dish cloth.

"So?" she prompted. "Tell me everything. Boy or girl?"

"Don't know yet," Sakumo said.

"Potential names?"

"Hadn't thought about it."

"Due date?"

"Dunno."

"Well, how far along is she?"

"Not a clue – we only just found out about it this morning," Sakumo admitted. "Probably about a month, but I could be wrong. Kita noticed she missed… y'know… _that_ time of the month… and so did one of those bathroom test thingies this morning, and it said we're expecting a baby!"

"So, naturally, the first thing you did was break into the Uchiha compound to boast," Masa completed with amused sarcasm. Sakumo looked offended.

"No, the first thing I did was hug Kita, then arrange a doctor's appointment with her for this afternoon, then tell Kai, Jiraiya and Daisuke, and _then _broke into the Uchiha compound to boast."

Masa scoffed. "Typical," she said, turning to the sink to start washing the used dishes. "You are _such _a boy." Sakumo drifted towards the oven, smelling the air curiously.

"Whatcha cooking?" he asked.

"Gingerbread, for the children," Masa replied, not looking around. Sakumo made a delighted noise.

"My favourite!" he half-shouted, bouncing on his toes.

Masa shook her head at his childishness. "They won't be cooked for another twenty minutes, but I did a batch of chocolate chip cookies a moment ago. They're over there, cooling. Should still be warm."

Sakumo abandoned his post at the oven instantly. "My real favourite! Masa, I love you."

Masa smirked. "And don't you forget it," she said smugly as Sakumo ate two of her cookies in three bites and scooped up another half-dozen. "You are _such_ a _boy_. Ooh."

"You okay?" Sakumo asked, his mouth full. Masa nodded, rubbing her belly with a petulant expression.

"He won't stop kicking me," she whined. "I'll be black and blue by the time he's born. I don't know if I can handle two more months of his constant squirming. Tamasine has already threatened to move to the spare bedroom if I don't stop tossing and turning at night, but I can't help it – Obito keeps me awake!"

"Obito?" Sakumo echoed, glancing at her midriff. Masa nodded, a touch of colour highlighting her cheeks.

"I'm alone for a lot of the day, and I talk to him, so I felt like I should choose a name… and I think it's a good one." She looked embarrassed.

"It's perfect," Sakumo grinned, before sobering. "What does Tamasine-san think of it?" he asked. Masa flushed darker and looked away abruptly.

"I – I haven't asked him," she admitted. "He doesn't know. I'm meaning to tell him," she added quickly, "but he's just so busy, he's hardly around, and with the political problems, war brewing with Suna, he's having to work longer hours. I… I wish I could help, but he wants me… safe."

Her pretty black eyes turned back to the dishes, and Sakumo watched her contemplatively. He'd been worried about her for a while, ever since she'd announced her impending marriage eleven months ago. When she'd told him she was pregnant, his worry had only increased. It felt off to him that she would be expecting already, would have conceived barely three months after her wedding day. It seemed bizarre that two people could go from complete strangers to married and sharing child in less than a year.

Besides, he had always been overprotective, and Masa had always been one of his girls. He didn't like that he was so out of the loop when he was used to being in every aspect of her life, her trusted friend.

"How's life in the civilian world suiting you?" he asked eventually, referring to the way that Masa had retired as a ninja more or less as soon as she married. Sakumo got the feeling that it wasn't really her choice.

The Uchiha smiled at him. "Fine. I've been helping with the children, mostly – their lessons, and the like. 'Course, Tamasine wants me to stop doing so much now, says I need to rest more, but I'm not used to just doing nothing, you know?"

Sakumo nodded – he understood the sentiment. He could also understand why Tamasine-san would want her out of the shinobi world with a war on the horizon, especially with a little one on the way.

"Well, maybe you could do something that took a little less actual physical effort," he suggested. "I'll talk to Kita: maybe she'll have some ideas."

Masa smiled gratefully. "Thanks, 'Kumo, that'd be really helpful. Truthfully, some days I'm so tired I can't even think, but I get bored so easily – ow!"

Her hands flew to her belly, and she pursed her lips ruefully, her expression making Sakumo laugh. "Little one," she grumbled, "Mama's getting sick of you. Stop it."

"Here," the Hatake offered suddenly, stepping up closer. "I have an idea. May I…?"

He gestured to her stomach, and Masa nodded, drawing her shirt up to expose her stomach area.

Sakumo placed his hand flat on her skin and couldn't help but grin as he felt – actually _felt_ – Masa's son move underneath it. Focusing, he found he could even sense the baby's unique chakra signature, overlapping with his mother's. Sparing a moment to wonder how long it would be before he could sense and feel his own son – or daughter – Sakumo pushed a gentle stream of chakra through his hand, brushing the baby with it. Almost at once, Obito seemed to settle, lulled by the caress.

Masa stared, mouth open, as she felt the infant calm his ceaseless motion and seem to doze off. Her eyes were fixed on her friend's serious expression, the way he watched her belly as he gently urged her baby to calm itself.

Inexplicably touched by the sight, she chalked it up to hormones when she suddenly had to resist the urge to burst into tears and demand a hug.

"That… is amazing, Sakumo," she said the moment she felt she could safely talk again. "Where did you learn that?"

"Four little brothers," he replied promptly. "When I was a kid I found out that running my chakra through them like this calmed them down when they were upset, and I figured it would work the same with an unborn baby."

There was a bang, and Masa jumped violently under his hand, staring over Sakumo's shoulder to find the source of the noise.

Tamasine had returned, and had thrown open the door to the kitchen to make the resounding crash.

There was a moment in which they all stared at each other, before Masa sagged back against the counter, one hand on her chest, the other tugging her shirt back down over her belly as Sakumo backed away from her.

"Hellfire, you made me start," she said to the silent man in the doorway. "It seems everyone is intent on scaring me today. You men should be careful, you know – my bladder is under constant pressure these days: it wouldn't take much to scare the pee right out of me."

Sakumo chuckled, sending her an apologetic look. Tamasine seemed less amused.

"Do not speak like that, it is unbecoming," he said flatly, dangerous eyes moving from his wife to Sakumo and back again. Sakumo met his gaze squarely, refusing to cave in to the urge to act ashamed. He'd done nothing wrong.

His sharp nose caught the scent of sake, and he deduced that Tamasine had been drinking – probably not a lot, due to the fact that he was obviously not drunk, but enough that the smell hung around him.

"Tamasine. You've met Sakumo, I think?" Masa recovered to say. "He was on my genin team, remember you've seen photos? He came by to tell me that his wife is expecting."

"How nice," Tamasine said coolly. "How did he get in here?"

"Right through the front door, Tamasine-san," Sakumo said promptly, disliking the way the Uchiha spoke as if he wasn't even in the room but sensing that his presence was making things worse. "It was nice to catch up, Masa, but I have to get to that doctor's appointment. I'll let you know what Kita says about activities to keep you off your feet but occupied. Thanks for the chat, and the cookies."

So saying he left, nodding at Tamasine on the way out. Masa smiled at her husband.

"Would you like a gingerbread man?" she asked. "They're just about ready to come out of the oven."

"I don't want you baking anymore, until the baby arrives," Tamasine said flatly, brushing aside the offer. "It's not safe."

Masa scoffed, gently drawing him near her by tugging on his vest. "You worry too much about me. We're fine, both of us. This little one's not due for another two months yet: I'll be fine to keep baking."

Tamasine watched her for a long moment.

"Only when I or someone else is here," he said finally. "Not when you're alone. And I don't want you leaving the compound until the child arrives."

Masa was dismayed – she had wanted to go visit Kita and exchange girly talk about their impending motherhood, but she supposed she could always just invite the woman over to her place.

"Okay," she agreed. There was a moment in which she hesitated, before she said, "I've been thinking about what to name him. What do you think of-?"

"Call him whatever you want," Tamasine interrupted, turning away and shrugging off her hands. "I'm going to shower. If you are so adamant you can still cook, set about making dinner now; I want you in bed early."

As she watched her husband walk away from her, Masa couldn't help but feel thoroughly disappointed.

**-?-**

A woman screamed. Kai jerked to his feet and made as if to run into the room from where the noise came, but Jiraiya grabbed his jacket and hauled him back.

"Whoa. Cool your jets there, bubs. Kita will _not_ thank you if you barge in now."

"Sorry." Kai looked embarrassed. "I'm just not used to standing by and doing nothing as a friend suffers."

"Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds," Jiraiya assured the man, guiding him to sit back down in the waiting chairs outside the delivery room. Masa looked up from where she was discreetly nursing her seven month old son, Obito, and grinned at her former genin teammate.

"He's right," she agreed. "It's not as bad as it sounds." She allowed a pause just long enough to give Kai time to look relieved before adding, "It's much, much worse. You can't scream nearly as loud as you want, because you're not really in control of your body – instinct totally takes over. Really, it's like being under a genjutsu. Every noise indicates pain beyond measure if it is forced out despite the mind control."

Right on cue, Kita gave a spine-tingling scream, and Kai turned a delicate shade of green as Jiraya held him in his seat.

"Gee, thanks," the Sannin grumbled. Masa's grin morphed into a satisfied smirk and she leaned towards Sakumo's friend slightly.

"Look at my breast one more time, and I will set the entire male population of my clan on you," she promised seriously, though admittedly with a tinge of humour. "It's a baby eating – there's nothing arousing there. I'm sure my male relatives would be happy to teach you that fact… thoroughly."

Jiraiya swallowed and made a point of wrenching his gaze up to her face. "I understand completely," he said.

"Excellent." Masa smiled properly and looked down at her baby, brushing his cheek affectionately as Kita screamed again in the next room. "You know, nine months of hell, thirty-odd hours of labour, midnight feeds, dirty diapers, and I still can't say I regret a second. No, the prize is worth every moment of suffering – and more."

Again, Kita screamed, a prolonged sound of suffering that made the heart stop to hear. Masa felt a stab of sympathy, but could tell from the screams that Kita's contractions were now almost constant with very few pauses – it wouldn't take much longer.

Sure enough, with one more bloodcurdling shriek, a baby's crying could be heard from the delivery room and the sound of the midwife's congratulation overlapped a pained yelp from Sakumo.

"Well, that sounded like Kita broke her husband's hand – or at least a finger or two," Masa commented, checking her own child. "Won't be long now until we can meet the world's newest Hatake."

It seemed that Obito had fallen asleep, and Masa carefully lay him in her lap and rightened her clothing before shifting him to his bassinette carrier.

"What about you, Masa?" Jiraiya asked, grinning broadly as he listened to his friend's baby wailing its way through its first few breaths. "Did you injure _your_ husband?"

Masa shrugged. "Tamasine wasn't present for Obito's birth," she said evenly. "It _is_ a war, you know. There are missions and things to do. He didn't even meet Obito until Obito was two weeks old."

Even Kai looked surprised by that. "Whoa. But, Sakumo was granted consideration in his mission assignments around Kita's due date," he said. "You know, no missions longer than a day, and all that."

Masa shrugged. "Tamasine doesn't believe in that," she replied simply. "And Obito was a month premature, anyway."

Before either of her companions could respond, the door opened and Sakumo appeared, holding a blue bundle in his arms gingerly. Instantly, the three waiting adults jumped to their feet, and Sakumo beamed round at them, satisfaction _radiating_ off him, and said, "Guys, I would like for you all to meet my son."

"Oh, awesome!" Kai exclaimed, peering at the baby as the child blinked sleepy grey eyes at them. "Look, he's just like you, Sakumo!"

"He's destined for greatness, just like you, eh?" Jiraiya added, reaching to trail a finger down the baby's body.

"How's Kita?" Kai asked.

"Sleeping. Exhausted," Sakumo replied.

"Don't blame her," muttered Jiraiya. "Oh, look! He's already sucking his thumb!"

"He's perfect!" Kai exclaimed. "I'm jealous."

"Isn't he?" Sakumo watched his child falling asleep with adoring eyes, practically bursting his buttons with pride.

Masa pushed through Jiraiya and Kai to confront Sakumo, saying, "Okay, all this macho-guy 'lookie what I got' stuff is very entertaining, but on another note, hand him over."

She held out her arms expectantly. Sakumo agreeably handed him to her, cautioning, "Careful – mind the head."

Masa gave him a pointed look. "Okay, you did _not_ just tell me that. _I_ taught _you_ how to hold a newborn, remember? When Obito was born? Seven months ago? But I understand your concern. Oh, hello, baby. You're gorgeous, aren't you? Name?" she barked at his father.

"Hatake Kakashi," Sakumo replied proudly, eyes dancing with unadulterated joy. A titter went around.

"Very fitting," Jiraiya commented, holding out his arms for a turn. The man's hands were so big he could easily cradle the baby in them alone, and Masa carefully offloaded the infant to him.

They stayed like that for a while, passing the baby around and cooing over him constantly, before Jiraiya glanced up and paused.

"Hey, Masa, isn't that your husband?" he asked. Masa blinked, then froze as she saw Tamasine coming towards them, face like a thundercloud.

"Where is my son?" was the first thing he said. Masa gestured at where Obito was sleeping peacefully, and Tamasine raked his eyes over his offspring before reaching out to grab Masa's arm.

"House empty, no note, no warning, and then Aki tells me that he saw you rushing to the hospital with my son," he hissed. "Explain, _now_."

Masa was tongue-tied, stuttering, tugging at her arm to try and relieve the death-grip he had on her. Kai stepped in quickly.

"She just came because Kita was in labour," he said. "She's fine – they're both fine, Uchiha-san, I promise. Um, Kita just asked that Masa be here, hence the hurry. Sorry if you were worried."

Tamasine sneered at the chuunin, and Sakumo piped up with, "Kita's just given birth, see? My son, Kakashi."

"Fascinating," Tamasine said, not even glancing at the fragile bundle that was somehow a human being. "Masa, come home with me, please." Masa hesitated, looking around at her friends. The three of them were glaring at Tamasine, who hadn't seemed to notice as he pulled on her arm insistently. "Come home," he insisted.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, and all at once a rush of medics raced for the room Kita was sleeping in.

"What-?" Sakumo exclaimed, instantly turning to the room and disappearing inside it. More medics and nurses poured into the room as the alarm continued to blare, and Masa felt her blood run cold.

Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong with Kita.

Tamasine seemed unmoved.

"Come, now," he repeated blithely.

"But…" Masa glanced helplessly after her friend. "Kita…"

"What, exactly, do you think you can do for her?" Tamasine asked, refusing to release her arm. "You are better to just get out of the medics' way."

"But I…"

Tamasine took advantage of his wife's indecision and yanked on her arm, dragging her after him, away from the delivery room. Masa just had the presence of mind to grab Obito's bassinette with her free hand and bring him along, her eyes riveted on the sight of medics rushing into the delivery room while Sakumo was forced out, his face pale and shocked.

**-?-**

The sun was shining far too brightly, indifferent to the quiet suffering of the people down below.

Assembled in the cemetery around an open grave were two dozen people dressed in black, armed with shinobi-taught stone faces to hide their pain. There were several civilians who cried freely, clinging to one another, but the vast majority of the mourners simply stood at attention as the casket was lowered into the ground and dirt was poured over it with a simple jutsu.

Masa was among the people gathered, her heart aching as she looked at the picture of the young woman in the casket, sitting on the headstone. Kita had been so beautiful, so full of life.

How could this have happened?

She shifted her son, who was asleep propped up on her shoulder, turning ice cold as she thought how easily it could have been her, how easy it would have been for her to die while bringing Obito into the world, leaving him all alone.

She could see Sakumo standing in the front row, head bowed, arms cradling his two week old baby. The preacher finished speaking, but Masa hadn't heard a word. She moved forwards numbly and lifted two white roses – one for her and one for Obito – and lay them carefully on the pile growing steadily on the freshly dug grave.

For just a moment, she let her hand trail over the soft soil, tears stinging her eyes as she imagined Kita lying cold and in the dark, six feet below them. She moved back, returning to her original spot, allowing the other mourners room to place their own flowers.

She didn't know how long she stood there, but when she next became aware, she and Sakumo were alone by the grave. She moved silently up to stand next to him and gently slipped her hand into his.

Sakumo didn't move, staring at the grave with blank eyes.

"How am I going to live now?" he asked expressionlessly. "What am I supposed to do without her?"

Masa had no answer.

They stood in silence until she gathered the courage to ask, "What are you going to do now?"

Sakumo made a noise that sounded startlingly like a sniff. "I'm going to stay at my otouto's house for a while, until I readjust. Daisuke said he'n Ryuu'd be happy to have me bunk with them. Once… once he an' the others get back from their mission, he's going to take some time off. Oh, god, how can I do this? Kita…"

Masa looked up at him to see him crying, tears dripping down his face and spotting on the well-wrapped baby in the crook of his arm. She couldn't do anything except hold his left hand tighter and try not to look at the strapping on his right hand, where Kita had indeed broken his fingers.

A familiar flicker of chakra made her look around, and her eyes widened to see Kai appear, battered and bleeding from several places.

"Kai?" she said. "Aren't you supposed to be on a mission? Or, failing that, in the hospital? You look like you could use it… where are the others?"

Kai stared at her as if he didn't understand for a long moment, before looking away and muttering, "Dead."

A jolt ran through Masa, and she sucked in a shocked breath. "Dead…?" she repeated. Then she remembered.

Kai had been on a squad with Sakumo's brothers.

What had happened?

"We were ambushed… Suna, they knew we were coming, and they… they just…" Kai's voice broke, but he pushed on. "'Kumo. I have to tell 'Kumo…"

"Tell him what, Kai?" Masa demanded, pulling away from Sakumo and approaching the injured man. He watched her for a moment, before responding in a dead voice.

"His brothers, they're dead."

"All of them?" Masa gasped, thinking of the four cute, energetic and often annoying boys she had known since her team had first been invited to eat at the Hatake household more than ten years ago. She turned wide eyes to watch Sakumo, wincing as he shuddered, his face twisting as if he was in great physical pain.

Clutching his new son to his chest tightly, he dropped to his knees and doubled over, clinging to his baby and making a strained moaning sound, like a wounded wild animal. He began to rock back and forth, shaking violently as he continued to moan and press his child to him, obviously being almost literally torn apart by grief.

Masa gestured Kai over to her and handed him the sleeping Obito carefully, before turning and crouching next to Sakumo.

"Sakumo," she said to him, placing a hand on his back and another on his arms. The Hatake didn't even seem to notice her there. Slowly, his moans became words, whimpered out as if each breath hurt him.

"What have I done?" he gasped. "Why did this happen? Why do I deserve this? No, no… please, no… my wife… my brothers…"

"Sakumo, you need to give me your son," Masa said firmly, despite the way her heart was breaking. He was holding the newborn far too tightly, smothering him against his chest. She had to get him away – if for no other reason than it would quite literally kill Sakumo to lose Kakashi too. "Give me Kakashi now."

Sakumo was whimpering, shaking his head, tightening his hold on his baby, but Masa pried his arms apart with ruthless gentleness and extricated the gasping baby, handing him straight to Kai, who had placed Obito on the ground to receive him. The moment his oxygen was returned to him, the infant began to scream – at least he was still alive.

Deprived of his son, Sakumo latched onto the next thing he could, and Masa held the man as he broke down and began to sob on her shoulder, murmuring nonsense into his ear as he shook and moaned and cried in her arms.

**-?-**

"I do not want you seeing Hatake Sakumo socially without an escort."

Masa froze at the words her husband spoke and lowered the blanket she had been folding.

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"It is inappropriate," Tamasine said blithely. "You are a married woman, and he is a single man. For you to be alone together is totally improper."

Masa saw red. "We buried his wife an hour ago and you're already talking like that?!" she screeched. Tamasine levelled his severe gaze at her.

"I do not like your tone," he said, a note of icy warning in his words.

"I don't care!" Masa shouted, her grief making her act out. "Sakumo is a childhood friend who has just lost all his family bar his son in two weeks, and you want me to break ties with him?! No, I won't!"

"Do not raise your voice at me, girl!" Tamasine shouted, standing so that he towered over her. Masa shrank back: he was suddenly truly frightening. He grabbed her arm painfully and began to drag her along with him towards their bedroom, where he tossed her roughly inside.

Masa overbalanced at her husband's shove and fell, ending up sprawled on the floor. She cried out as her wrist twinged painfully.

"You will not see him again," Tamasine promised ominously as he shut the door. "Do not dare to leave this room." Masa heard him slide the lock into place and storm away, punching the wall as he went, and curled into a ball, shocked and hurt beyond measure, clutching her injured wrist.

She heard the front door slam and knew her husband had gone out. The noise woke Obito where he was sleeping in his cot in the kitchen, and the baby began to scream.

Masa broke down upon hearing her child's calls, realising that she was too frightened to even leave the room to fetch and tend to her own baby, and as she sobbed she wondered how long it would be before Tamasine returned to release her, and how drunk he would be when he did.

**-?-**

"Obito! Come here, sweetheart!" Masa called. "That's enough for now."

The nearly-three year old looked up and swept his chubby hand over his eyes, trying to pretend he hadn't been crying.

"But Otou-san said I hafta get this right b'fore I eat ag'n," he whimpered, sounding panicked as he pointed at the stump set up in the back yard and the kunai scattered around it.

Masa felt a stab of anger. How dare Tamasine give her toddler real (if blunted) weapons? Damn that man, putting so much pressure on his son.

"I will talk to Otou-san," she promised. "Come inside."

Obito obeyed instantly, dropping the kunai and toddling up to his mother. Masa swung him onto her hip and carried him inside, taking him to the kitchen counter and rummaging for the first aid kit. Obito's hands were scratched and blistered from being forced to practice all day. Masa cursed herself for leaving the child in his father's care while she went to the doctor, and then to a lunch date with a group of her girl friends.

She should have known better.

She paused for a moment, her fingers tracing her own jaw, where Tamasine had struck her when she had returned home bearing the news that she wasn't pregnant. Her husband had gotten it into his head that, as his first son was obviously not a genius, he needed a new heir. Tears pricked Masa's eyes at the thought that her son wasn't good enough for his own father, and she had to blink hard to rid herself of them.

"Mama?" Obito said from behind her. "You kay?"

Masa hoisted a smile up and turned back to her toddler, saying, "Yeah, honey, I'm fine. Here, give me your hands."

"You no stingy stuff on, kay?" Obito said, looking worried. Masa smiled.

"No stingy stuff," she agreed. "Just a bandage."

"Kay," Obito repeated, offering his hands. Masa quickly doctored them and then packed up the first aid kit, lifting Obito off the bench.

"I don't want you using those weapons anymore," she told him firmly. "I'll be speaking to Otou-san. You are not ready for them."

The relief on Obito's baby face was blindingly obvious. "Kay," he said happily. Masa let him go and he wandered into the front hallway, mumbling something about looking for Tora, his plushie toy.

Masa was putting the kitchen to rights when she heard male shouting from the front of the house, and a chill ran through her. Tamasine was home and from the sounds of it, drunk.

Again.

It was a cry of pain from her son that caused her to move, jolting her into action as she raced for the front hallway.

She arrived to find her husband, clothing ruffled and pockets empty, holding her son up by the arm, shaking him, screaming.

"I told you to stay out in the yard and practise until you got it right!" he shouted, shaking the boy violently. "You do as you – are – fucking – told!!"

"M-mama s-said," sobbed Obito, writhing in his father's grip.

"I don't fucking care what _mama_ said! You do what _I _say! Me. _I _am the head of this house. _Do you understand me_?!"

Masa moved, attacking her husband without thought or form, just bowling into him and tugging on his arm, forcing him to release her son, catching Obito before he hit the ground.

Tamasine wobbled, squinting at her, trying to focus despite the drink. "Masa?" he said dumbly, before his face clouded in anger. "You fucking bitch. You pushed me!"

Masa hugged a sobbing Obito close, her arms around him protectively, and stepped backwards.

"We're leaving." The words were out of her mouth before she'd even thought them, and for a moment she had trouble believing it was her who spoke them.

It was insanity. Leaving Tamasine meant leaving the clan, which meant leaving the village, because there was no way she would be allowed to keep her son whilst living unmarried outside the clan's protection. Where would she go? What could she do? A chuunin-level single mother who had been out of training for nearly four years? Could she really leave Konoha behind?

But Tamasine had attacked Obito. Shaking him like that could have killed him. Tamasine hitting her she could handle, but she'd burn in hell before she let him lay a hand on his son – no, on _her _son.

"We're leaving," she repeated with more strength, taking another step backwards, towards the front door.

Tamasine laughed. "You don't know a damn thing," he slurred, approaching slowly, pinning Masa with his gaze and threatening stance. Fear pounded in her heart, thudding through her system.

He was faster than her. Stronger, better trained. Dangerous.

Drunk.

"You and your fucking brat are exactly the same!" he suddenly shouted, reaching for her, tearing Obito out of her arms and tossing him aside, grabbing Masa and yanking her close as Obito hit the ground with a sickening thud. "He's useless as a leaking cup, and you can't even provide me with another, better child!"

Masa squirmed, terrified, trying desperately to free herself. She was dragged closer, pinned against Tamasine's hard chest, and he wound a hand through her hair to yank her head back and up, forcing a kiss on her.

Masa cried out fearfully as he slammed his lips against hers. He smelt like alcohol and tasted like vomit, and Masa had to fight to keep from gagging. Her heart thundered against her ribcage.

She knew what he was going to do. She knew it. Her eyes slid to where Obito was curled on the floor, thumb in mouth, other arm around his toy tiger and clapped over one ear, tears streaming down his face.

Tamasine shoved her against a wall and started running his hands over her, trying to find the fastenings to her clothing. He seemed unable to handle a button, so there was a tearing sound as part of Masa's dress gave way under his furious tugging, and Masa gasped in horror.

"Stupid fucking whore," Tamasine was rambling. "Only good for one thing anyway. I'll show you, dirty slut…"

Suddenly, the panic in Masa's mind vanished, leaving everything crystal clear. Tamasine wasn't going to stop on his own, so she had to stop him. For Obito, for herself.

This in mind, she reached around him as if to hug him, her hands scrabbling for his kunai pouch. He grunted, no doubt mistaking her search for a grope, and bent to bite at her exposed shoulder.

Her hand closed around a kunai, and she took a breath, trying to steady herself as much as she was able with the assault on her body that was occurring, and then she moved, swinging her arm up to stab Tamasine in the side, expertly missing any fatal spots, and with her other hand unhooked his kunai pouch so that he was unarmed.

Tamasine howled and reeled backwards, crashing to the floor as he overbalanced, his drunkenness removing any and all hand-eye coordination he possessed.

"Fuck," he snarled, glaring up at his wife.

Masa hurried to her son and scooped him up, toy and all, before turning to her husband.

"We're leaving," she repeated firmly, and turned to the door, fumbling with the knob for a moment before she flung it open and ran, dropping his pouch a few paces from the doorway.

Tamasine watched her go with a drunken laugh.

"She'll be back," he mumbled, before rolling over and beginning to retch.

**-?-**

To say Sakumo was surprised when his ex-teammate turned up at his doorstep just as he was putting his twenty-two month old child to sleep was a vast understatement, especially as he hadn't seen her at all except for at the odd social gathering or birthday party they had both attended for months. They had exchanged letters back and forth for a few months, and Masa had fully explained to Sakumo Tamasine's reasoning for cutting off their contact, but it didn't sit right with the Hatake.

Sakumo had just pulled the blanket up over his sleeping son and tugged the toddler's thumb out of his mouth, replacing it with a pacifier before Kakashi could begin to fuss, when there was a knock on the front door.

He had answered it to find Masa standing there, barefooted, dress torn, cheek bruised, lips trembling and a wailing, soiled child in her arms, and instantly knew that Tamasine had done something terrible. He ushered her inside, taking Obito and checking the boy over for injuries, calming him with a bottle of milk and pulling off his dirty clothing, thanking Jiraiya soundlessly for making that mistake in sizes when he'd mailed that baby outfit for Kakashi last month, so Sakumo had something to dress the older child in.

He used a gentle jutsu to lull the Uchiha to sleep, something he usually would never do to a child, but he could sense that Masa needed him. Once Obito was asleep, he placed him, the toy and the bottle of milk next to Kakashi in the spacious crib.

The child taken care of, he turned to the mother, guiding her to his bathroom and drawing a bath, handing her a large, fluffy towel and a set of his clothes to change into (he couldn't quite bear to give her anything of Kita's, even after so long), telling her to take as long as she needed, and leaving her quietly, leaving the bathroom door ajar just in case he needed to get to her.

He returned to the kitchen and set about making a pot of tea, reasoning that it looked like they were both going to need it.

It took Masa a very long time to venture out of the bathroom, dressed in his shirt and boxers, her damp hair plaited down her back. Her eyes were bloodshot: she had obviously been crying, but Sakumo tactfully didn't mention it.

"Here," he said softly, offering her a cup. Masa managed a wobbly little smile that broke his heart and sank down onto the couch next to him, taking the cup and holding it on her knee, looking into the green tea as if seeking the answers to the universe in its depths. After a long silence, Sakumo finally just asked, "'Asa? What's happened?"

He watched Masa teeter, before her face crumpled, her mouth opened and everything came spilling out, everything that had happened since Kita's funeral: the verbal abuse, the way Tamasine had systematically cut her off from her friends and isolated her to the point where she only ever saw members of her own family, the way he had started hitting her, had started pressuring Obito, had started leaning more and more heavily on the drink… By the time she got to the events of that evening, Sakumo was shaking with barely restrained anger and aching to turn Tamasine into a kunai porcupine.

When Masa began to recount the way Tamasine had shoved her against the wall and torn her dress, Sakumo couldn't help but gather her up in his arms and hold her carefully, murmuring to her soothingly and letting her cry.

"What am I going to do?" Masa managed to choke out after a spell of quiet sobs. Sakumo didn't hesitate.

"Divorce him," he said simply. Masa stared at him: the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"B-But…" she stuttered, looking away, her feelings warring with her clan's perception of marriage and duty. Sakumo caught her chin and turned her back to look at him, his fingers trailing over her bruised face.

"Masa," he said with gentle seriousness, "divorce him."

"But if I do that, I'll lose Obito!" Masa burst out. "I'm unemployed, unskilled, and I-"

Sakumo placed his hand over her mouth to still her, looking out the window at the sun – it was barely six in the evening: plenty of time.

"Come with me," he said, standing and pulling Masa to her feet along with him. "We're going to see the Hokage."

**-?-**

The silence was killing her. Masa sat in the chair before the Hokage's desk, wringing her hands in her lap anxiously, feeling her face burning with shame, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

Sakumo had tersely explained the reason for their visit, and after asking the Hatake a few clarifying questions, Sarutobi had lit his pipe and settled back into his chair to watch Masa.

"Sir?" Sakumo prompted. "Masa has come here seeking divorce."

Sarutobi nodded once. "Yes, I gathered that, Sakumo," he said simply. "But I need to hear it from her before I can even entertain the idea of acting. Masa-san? Why are you here?"

Masa flinched, and took a deep breath. "I-I don't know, sir," she stuttered, hating her lack of control. "I… if I were to be honest, I… I do wish to… terminate my marriage… I can't go back there – I _can't_! But…" she faltered, looking away.

"But?" the Hokage prompted gently. Masa took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

"But… sir, I'm a civilian now, remember? I need to take this to the Council, and then the Daimyo…" Masa trailed off: she knew it was hopeless. She'd never get both a divorce and custody of Obito through those channels.

Sakumo cleared his throat, raising a silver eyebrow at the Sandaime, and Sarutobi 'hm'ed, reaching into his desk and pulling out a file, flicking it open. Masa recognised the picture as hers, and wondered fleetingly what the Hokage was doing with her file in his desk.

"Hm, well look at that," he said, sounding incredibly unsurprised. "It would seem that you are, in fact, still classed as a kunoichi," the Hokage said, examining her file. Masa blinked.

"But… how is that possible?" she asked. "Tamasine – I mean, _I _filed my resignation… three years ago, now. It only takes three days to officiate… why then would…?"

The Sandaime and Sakumo exchanged glances, and Masa was sure she caught a pointed look pass between them, before Sarutobi took his pipe from between his teeth and blew out a long puff of smoke, flicking through the papers before him.

"It is _possible_ that, rather than filing your resignation, the clerks – accidentally, I'm sure – instead filed for your maternity leave, then long-service leave, and then accumulated sick, personal and professional absence leave," he said casually, lifting another leaf of paper, "of which, it seems you have… four more days. How convenient." He looked up to smile. "Of course, once it runs out you will receive a notice, telling you it is time to return to work, unless you wish to resign, but until you officially turn in the request to resign, you are still one of my shinobi, and as such my responsibility in these cases. How peculiar."

Masa felt a smile spreading across her face to match the fatherly one Sarutobi was sporting, and she turned to point at Sakumo. "You," she accused. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Eh, I thought you might need some extra time to consider," Sakumo shrugged, hands in his pockets belying how pleased he was. Masa shook her head, fighting the bizarre urge to laugh out loud.

"That's very illegal," she said. Her eyes turned back to the Hokage. "_You_ should know that, sir, as they are _your_ laws."

Sarutobi took another draw of his pipe. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Clearly, this was a clerical error. It happens," he shrugged, eyes twinkling. "Now, about your problem, Masa-san."

The mood instantly sobered. Masa looked down at her knees, playing with the folded-back sleeves of Sakumo's shirt that pooled around her.

"Sandaime-sama," she said slowly, "Honestly, I can see that it is time to get out of there, but… the Clan will demand that I turn over Obito to them. They'll claim I'm an unfit mother, that he deserves to grow up with his family… I can't do that, sir. I need to stay married, stay with Tamasine, if only for Obito. I can't leave him. I – we can live apart, Tamasine and I… I just need… accommodation, and work, sir."

Sarutobi nodded contemplatively. "You are aware, I am sure, that Clan Law dictates that Tamasine-san has every right to drag both you and your son home and even punish you corporally, as he sees fit, are you not?" he asked. Masa nodded, tears burning her eyes, but she refused to let them be shed.

"Yessir," she said, "but I don't really have another choice, do I?" she asked sardonically, her heart aching as she thought of her precious son, sleeping peacefully under the watchful eye of Sakumo's canine familiar, Hime.

The Hokage nodded slowly, his expression pitying. "I am sorry, Masa-san," he said quietly. "The only way you could possibly hope to hold onto your child in the event of a divorce is if you are able to prove that you have a stable, viable home situation in which to raise him. That is, if you were to remarry, preferably to someone with political sway and a powerful family name."

Masa shuddered at the very idea of putting herself at the mercy of another man, and her shoulders slumped dejectedly.

Then Sakumo shifted and said suddenly, in the same tone one would suggest getting takeout for dinner in, "Marry me."

Masa felt as if an electric jolt had run through her, and she wheeled in her seat, staring at him.

"Wh-what?!" she gasped. Sakumo shrugged, watching the Hokage.

"That would do it, right?" he pressed. "I mean, I'm the White Fang – that should be enough power to contend with the Uchiha clan. I marry Masa, officially adopt her child, and Masa is free to live happily ever after."

Sarutobi nodded contemplatively. "Yes, that would be an ideal situation," he agreed. "Especially as you have your own boy: that definitely adds to the idea that you are a capable parent, and having come into your entire family's inheritance, you are wealthy enough also."

Sakumo's eyes darked just a little at the reminder of his family's deaths, but he just nodded. Masa felt rather as if a hurricane had swept her up and was jostling her around – too many changes, too soon.

"Wait," she said. "Just wait." The men turned to look at her, and she shook her head. "Sakumo," she said, first turning to her friend. "You… you can't want to marry me. You don't love me."

He met her gaze steadily. "Arranged marriage, Masa," he replied. "I don't have to." Masa winced at having her own words thrown back in her face like that. "Besides," he continued, "I don't love you romantically, no – I love you like a sister, 'Asa, and I don't mind doing this for you. After Kita… look, I'm never going to remarry. I can't even look at a woman like that anymore. If you fall in love with someone, we can terminate the marriage and you can marry him. Until then, I have no problem helping you – and your son – like this. Who knows, eh? Maybe we'll end up a real married couple, but for now… As far as I'm concerned, you and Obito are family anyway, so why not share my name?"

Masa was touched. She reached up to trace his cheek, a wobbly smile ticking her lips up and down. "Thank you," she whispered. Sakumo grinned boyishly at her.

"Well, may as well make this official," he said, "Uchiha Masa, will you ditch the slimeball and marry me instead?"

Masa couldn't help it. She began to giggle. "Yes," she agreed. "Yes, I will." She glanced at where the Hokage sat, looking fondly amused as he watched the interaction between his best ninja and Sakumo's new fiancée.

"Well, we have a bit of paperwork to do, then," he sighed, pushing aside a waiting pile and summoning a chuunin to bring the correct forms to get the process started. "First we will liquefy your marriage, Masa-san, and then – as soon as possible, that same day, if it can be managed – you will wed Sakumo, and then we will arrange – again quickly – for Obito-kun to become Sakumo's son, through a marriage-adoption. Keep in mind that because of Clan Law on the subject, Obito-kun will never be able to take your name, and will remain 'Uchiha Obito', but his birth father will have no right to him at all.

"This whole thing should be cleared up in, oh, a week. Until then, Sakumo, I'd advise you take Masa-san back to your home and keep an eye on her, keep her safe until she is legally under your protection."

Sakumo nodded seriously, standing to bow at the obvious dismissal.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you, sir," echoed Masa weakly, standing and bowing also. Sarutobi chuckled, waving his hand at them.

"Go, go. Drink some wine, celebrate your engagement. I'll just stay here and do paperwork for you. Shoo, now."

"You're a wonderful man, Sarutobi-sama," grinned Sakumo. Sarutobi 'hm'ed.

"You just be glad that you've been friends with Jiraiya for so long you're as good as my student, too," he grumbled. "I'll be here all night with this. But it's worth it, I suppose. I have children, too. Now, shoo. Let me work in peace."

Sakumo smiled and guided a shocked Masa away.

**-?-**

Seventeen days later, Sakumo looked up from sharpening kunai at the kitchen table when he heard his son – Kakashi, he clarified mentally: they were _both_ his sons – shout.

"Scaredy-cat!"

Sakumo sighed, gesturing for Masa, who was preparing a meal, to stay. "I'll sort it out," he promised.

His toddler was, it was clear to anyone who spoke to him or watched him for even a moment, a prodigy. Unfortunately, his one-nearly-two year old thus far lacked people skills, and was forever insulting others. 'Scaredy-cat' was a slur taught to him by one of Sakumo's summons, the ultimate insult for a dog, he supposed. Anyway, Kakashi seemed to be overly fond of it.

Sakumo was trying to wean him off the insults, with limited success.

"What's going on here?" he asked, coming out into the front room to see Kakashi straining on tiptoes, his chubby baby-chin just able to see over the sill of the low window while Obito huddled at his feet, curled in a ball and hugging Tora.

"'Bito scaredy-cat!" Kakashi said firmly, turning to look up at his father. Sakumo chuckled, kneeling next to the pair.

"No, 'Kashi, you don't call people that," he said, just as firmly. Kakashi's little face scrunched up into a scowl, and he jabbed a finger at the huddled figure.

"Look!" he insisted. "He scared!"

"Of what?" Sakumo asked – it really did seem as if Obito was frightened. Kakashi grinned.

"Hime bite man!" he declared proudly. Sakumo blinked, then closed his eyes and re-played that sentence in his head, just to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Hime bit a man?" he repeated carefully. Kakashi nodded.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," he said, waving his chubby hand at the window. "Man come, shout, Hime go 'grr', man shout more, 'Bito see him an' hide, Hime go 'grr, grr, bite'!"

He clapped his hands, delighted.

Sakumo raised his gaze and looked out the window, his heart freezing as he recognised the man outside facing off against a bristling Hime.

"Boys, go find Mama," he ordered quietly: they had decided that they would raise the boys to address them as parents. Obito looked up.

"Mama?" he repeated. Sakumo nodded.

"Off you go, tell her what happened here, and to take you two upstairs and stay there until I come get you, okay?" he said, ruffling Kakashi's hair and giving him a little push. "It's gonna be okay, boys, but you have to do it now."

Kakashi frowned at him for a moment, before holding his hand out to Obito and saying, "Come, come. Kay? Mama."

The moment the boys were out of the way, Sakumo moved to the front door and tossed it open, striding to face the man who was being fended off by his familiar.

"Tamasine-san," he said coolly. "What are you doing here? This is private property."

"I'm on the street, Hatake," the Uchiha sneered. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Sakumo asked, sounding bored. Tamasine made a violent motion with his hand.

"Don't play fucking dumb!" he shouted. "I know you have her here! Bring her out here, let her tell me to my face that this is true!"

He brandished a piece of paper in Sakumo's face. Sakumo's bored expression didn't waver.

"If I assume 'she' is Masa, as Masa is the only female link between myself and you, am I to deduce that you need her to read you a letter?" he asked. Tamasine _growled_, sounding remarkably like a bear.

"Today in my mail," he began, deadly and furious. "An official letter from the Hokage's office, declaring that my wife had officially divorced me, and that my son – my _son_ – was no longer mine, as she had suitably proven her ability to care for him herself. What do you make of _that_, Hatake?!"

Sakumo considered. "I think I should tell you," he said calmly, "that as of this time yesterday, Masa and I have been married. You have had that notice for twelve days, though whether you chose to read it or not was your choice. If you wished to contest the divorce and remarriage, the time has come and gone."

There was an ugly expression on Tamasine's face as he stepped closer, coming very close to stepping onto the property. Hime snarled, her snout pushed through the closed iron gate that marked the end of the walkway through the front garden.

"I always took her to be a whore," he spat. "Figures she'd pull something like this. Where is the bitch? I deserve a chance to talk to her."

Sakumo raised an eyebrow. "You were married for more than three years, Uchiha-san," he said simply. "That is more than enough of a chance. You step one foot on this property and Hime will tear you to pieces. If the wards don't, that is."

With that, Sakumo turned and made his unhurried way back into his house. He was almost there when Tamasine shouted after him, "I want my son, Hatake!"

Sakumo didn't even pause.

"He's my son now, Uchiha-san."

---

A/N: Reviews make me happy.


	2. Adjusting

A/N: See? OCs go bye-bye.

**-?-**

Chapter One - Adjusting

Through a haze of sleep, Masa heard the sound of a young child crying and dimly recognised that her son was calling for her. Her body felt heavy, and Masa wondered for a moment if she would be able to pry her eyes open and go to him, much less keep them open as she changed him and lulled him back to sleep.

A jolt of fear ran through her as someone shifted next to her on the large bed and a masculine sigh was released into the air.

_Tamasine's awake_.

The thought rolled ominously through her, settling as a ball of ice in her stomach as she waited for the inevitable rough shake that would come and the harsh words that would be poured on her as Tamasine swore and scolded her for not "shutting that damn brat the hell up" because "_I _have to work in the morning, unlike _you_."

The bed shifted and Masa braced, but no-one touched her. Instead, the man next to her sighed again and rolled to slide off the raised western-style bed, standing and moving to leave quietly. Masa's breath caught in her throat – what was Tamasine going to do to her son? – and her eyes flew open. She was not in the red and black room she had shared with Tamasine: even in the middle of the night, this room was lighter, less oppressive.

Her panicked noise attracted the attention of the man who had recently left her bed, and Masa took in his silver hair and gentle grey eyes seeking out hers with concern.

"Are you okay?" Sakumo asked, walking back to the bed and standing over her. He frowned, reaching out to touch her temple. "Your Sharingan…"

In a flash, Masa realised that her clan kekkei genkai had snapped on in her fright, hence the clearness with which she was viewing her surrounds, despite the dark that should have encumbered her. She blushed.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Sakumo asked carefully, sinking to his knees so he didn't loom over her. She'd had several nightmares since they had wed – Sakumo was getting good at handling them, if he did say so himself. His face darkened just briefly as he asked, "Did you think I was _him_?" The way he spat the word 'him' like a deadly curse left no doubt that he was referring to Masa's former husband. Masa instantly flushed a deeper shade as she nodded, deactivating her Sharingan so as to hide in the darkness.

"I forgot," she admitted, shame curling around her like her thick blanket. It had been a whole month – she should be adjusted by now! Sakumo had been more than good to her… why was she haunted by ghosts of the past? "I thought you were… I thought Tamasine was going to h-hurt Obito."

She yelped as Sakumo abruptly scooped her up and hugged her, his arms friendly and comforting, not intimidating in the slightest. "I'll never let that happen," he swore with a fervour that made Masa smile. "Ever. He can't reach you now – either of you. You can't be touched."

The child down the hall screamed louder, and Masa could hear the other one starting to fuss as well. She sighed, pushing Sakumo away and casting about for her dressing gown. Sakumo pressed her back against the pillows.

"Stay," he said, in exactly the tone he used to command his dog summons. "I'll get it."

Masa half-smiled and let herself relax back against the bed. Over the last four and a half weeks, she had been endlessly surprised when Sakumo didn't insist that she shoulder the midnight wakeup calls by herself – she had to admit she wasn't adverse to the arrangement.

The soft padding of feet alerted her to the return of her teammate – even now, married a month, she continued to think of him that way – and she glanced up, smiling when she saw Sakumo standing in the doorway with a sleepy-looking Kakashi in his arms.

"Someone had a nightmare too," the adult whispered as he slipped back into bed, resting the toddler between them. Kakashi instantly curled into the warmth that was his new mother, sucking his pacifier. Masa petted his soft hair drowsily, breathing in the baby-smell and letting herself drift back into sleep.

Several hours later, Masa awoke to find her arms around the tangled forms of both her sons _and _Sakumo's familiar Hime, who had clearly crawled up sometime during the night. Sakumo himself had been forced aside and was sleeping balanced precariously on the very edge of the bed.

She smiled.

**-?-**

Obito screwed up his face and chewed contemplatively, considering the taste. Not too bad, really…

Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind and hoisted onto a lap he recognised as Mama's without turning to see her face. The woman pried apart his jaws and scooped out the bug he'd put inside before he could swallow it.

"No," she said firmly. "That's yucky, 'Bito, no."

Obito pouted, but she handed him an orange-flavoured, chewy stick of food to occupy him. Kakashi crawled over the blanket spread out over the grass to matter-of-factly shove Obito out of his mother's lap and settle there himself, blinking up at her with innocent grey eyes.

"Me?" the two year four week old miniature Sakumo asked, reaching up in askance. Masa chuckled at the cuteness and handed him his own fruit stick – a cherry-flavoured one. She watched as the child stuck it into his mouth and squirmed around until his back was against her chest, leaning back against her so he could watch his father. Obito had rightened himself after his unscheduled tumble from Masa's lap and promptly shoved his adopted brother, trying to uproot the younger so he could regain his seat. Masa quickly put her arm around her biological son in a half-hug, and Obito settled, content to sit next to her instead of on her.

Sakumo was training. Masa had gathered the children and packed a picnic basket which she had set up on the edge of Sakumo's chosen training field, allowing the boys to play while Sakumo punished his body and she made a daisy chain.

With a grin she completed her chain, making a small hoop, and slipped it over Kakashi's head, ruffling grey hair so it would keep the flowers in place and laughing aloud at the result.

The younger child smiled cheekily up at her, happy that his Mama was laughing even if he didn't understand why, and went back to chewing on his fruit stick. Obito once more decided he wanted to sit on Masa's lap and stood up, pushing at Kakashi with big-brother authority. A subtle intervention from Masa later, both boys were on her lap. Obito looked up at her with wide eyes.

"I have fower too?" he asked. "Peas?" Masa nodded agreeably and moved to pull out the grass he'd stuffed into his mouth.

"Okay, but only if you stop trying to eat things that aren't food," she said sternly.

"Kay, Mama." The little Uchiha nodded, perfectly serious, and Masa reached to pick some more of the cheerful yellow flowers.

The little family was silent as Sakumo moved suddenly, leaping into the air and twisting, kunai flying in all directions. Each blade glowed white, and Masa's breath caught in her throat.

'_Kumo's white chakra – he's gotten better since the last time I saw him fight._

Every one of the kunai thudded deep into wood, each striking its intended target with a perfect accuracy that Masa had spent her childhood envying, and Sakumo landed lightly on his feet. His mouth curved into a satisfied grin as he looked around at his results, and his eyes flitted over his family before skittering back when he realised he was being closely scrutinised. A light blush brushed his cheeks and he looked away, shoving his hands into his pockets self-consciously.

A child broke the silence.

"Cool!" Kakashi cheered, extricating himself from Masa and Obito and toddling across the field towards his father – Masa made a belated grab for him, but damn the kid was quick.

"Sakumo!" she called, a warning for him not to do anything potentially lethal: there was a small child on the loose. She needn't have bothered. Sakumo had spotted him and he knelt, holding out his arms for the silver-haired boy.

"Hello," he said, kissing Kakashi's head and noting the flowers with a touch of amusement.

"Me?" Kakashi's wide eyes begged mercilessly. "I have? Teach?"

Sakumo blinked. "You… want me to teach you… that?" he repeated dumbly, gesturing at the kunai dotted around them at regular intervals. Kakashi nodded vigorously. Sakumo grinned.

"Alright," he said, digging in his pouch for a reasonably blunt kunai. "Here." He fitted it to the baby's chubby hand, kneeling behind him and wrapping his arms around him. "Hold it like this…"

Watching, Masa's eyes widened when she saw what her new husband was doing and had a moment in which she teetered on the brink of panic before she narrowed her eyes in disgust.

"Damn Sakumo," she muttered. "Always rushing things, his whole life. Thought I kicked that out of him. Time for some refreshing of lessons learned, methinks." She lifted Obito, flopping back into the grass and dangling him over her head. "Chichi's in trouble," she cooed.

Obito giggled.

**-?-**

Sakumo was on a mission. It wasn't particularly deadly – B-ranked, but short: wouldn't even last overnight. He sighed as he watched his client struggle over another ditch in the rough road they were traversing, and nimbly jumped over the furrow in time to offer his hand to help the other man when he stumbled.

The client scowled and grabbed his hand, muttering something about "damn ninja". Sakumo ignored him.

The roads had become dangerous outside of Konoha, and this man had demanded protection on his trip to his home village – a civilian settlement several hours from Konoha, with a permanent shinobi outpost set there to keep a lookout and also to protect the settlement. Due to his wealthy status, the client had been able to easily afford Konoha's best, and Sakumo boredly shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around, idly searching for threats.

Hmm… a mama bear out that way… shouldn't be a problem: she was on the other side of a river and out of sight… and ooh, a pretty bird up there. Vaguely, the Hatake wondered what species the creature was – Masa would know, if she were here.

He sensed them long before he spotted them, but nothing in his face or posture betrayed the fact. "Hotoki-san," he said to the client, pausing by a crossroad, "Let's go this way."

Hotoki-san stopped, irritation infecting his face. "_That_ way will add a full hour to our travel time!" he protested. "I thought you were supposed to know your way around!"

"I do," Sakumo said patiently. "That's why I think it would be best if we took this path."

The client scoffed. "No," he said flatly, and took off down the road Sakumo had tried to warn him off. Sakumo sighed and hurried to glue himself to his client's shadow.

They were probably only chuunin anyway, from their sloppy concealment. Sakumo reached into his weapons pouch to flush them out while the client was still too far away for their ambush to work, and froze when his hand touched nothing but cloth. Where were his kunai…? He would have noticed a pickpocket, right? Unless these shinobi were way, _way_ better than he suspected.

Adrenaline flooded his system, but his confusion had made him hesitate too long. The ninja lying in wait attacked, and Sakumo swept out his Fang, the tempered blade glowing with his white chakra. Several seconds later, he was ruefully admitting that maybe he overreacted, poking toes at the corpses he'd mangled. Low-end chuunin, out for a bit of pocket money via highway robbery, it looked like. Morons.

But that didn't explain his missing weapons.

The rest of the mission was completed with a frown on his face. The client, having had a front row seat on the events that led to his bodyguard being splattered with blood like that and now having a fairly accurate idea of where the other, more faded stains on his flak vest had come from, chose to stay quiet.

Smart man.

Later that day, Sakumo had handed in a report and stamped out for the day and still had no answer. His best guess was that he'd forgotten them, but how could he have taken his pouch and not the weapons inside it? He didn't often use them, granted, preferring his Fang above all else, but only an idiot carries a total of one weapon. Besides, everything else was untouched, including the emergency extra kunai stashed at the very bottom of the pouch, under his shuriken, wire, extra buttons and emergency chocolate.

…He really didn't use his weapon pouch too much…

He stepped into his home and removed his shoes, calling an echoing, "I'm home," through the building. "Masa? Boys? Huh, maybe they're out."

He pulled off his vest and turned to hang it on a hook on the wall, and when he turned back around nearly jumped out of his skin. Masa was standing close behind him, scowling fit to kill and wielding a wooden spoon that somehow in her hand seemed more deadly than a katana borne by an ANBU. "Masa! You… startled me." Her expression was not changing. Sakumo risked a glance at his watch. He wasn't _that _late… It was only just their usual dinner time, well before the boys had their baths. And she'd been happy enough with him this morning.

Inwardly, Sakumo began to whimper. When Masa had looked this way in his youth, he'd invariably run away and hidden, but that clearly wasn't an option here. Where would he go, anyway? They lived in the same house.

A bead of sweat formed on his temple and slid down his face, following his hairline and getting caught in his ear. He didn't move to sweep it away.

Finally, Masa broke the stillness by swinging her spoon up and smacking him on the head with it, before beginning a series of rapid jabbing motions against his chest – Sakumo winced with every well-aimed blow.

"Just because you're the man doesn't mean they're not my sons too!" she snarled, getting a good jab in with each word. Sakumo cringed backwards, completely blindsided.

"Wh-what?" he began, bewildered, but Masa just talked right over him.

"I don't know what it is with guys and their idiotic delusions and dreams of making their offspring into some sort of super-fighting-genius-freaks, but I've been through that once and I'm not doing it again! I expected better from _you_, Hatake! I thought you were different! And then you go and do something like this!"

"What did I do?" Sakumo cried desperately, now cowering back against the hallway wall. Masa made a noise of angry disgust and Sakumo was forced to duck as she hurled the contents of her other hand at his face. Landing in a crouch with his arms up to defend his head, he peeked through them at the weapons Masa had assaulted him with, now stuck in the wall.

"My kunai!" he exclaimed, recognising them as the very same ones he had missed earlier. "But…"

"I found Kakashi and Obito playing with those!" Masa now sounded slightly hysterical. "They'd both already cut themselves, and Hime heard them crying and brought me to them. And Kakashi said – Kakashi said they were yours!"

Sakumo instantly understood what had happened. He growled and rubbed his sore ribs. "Those little buggers," he said, then stood and pinned – uh, enfolded – Masa in his arms before she could continue her assault with the dreaded wooden spoon.

"I know Kakashi asked you to teach him and I know they think they're so grown up and you want them to be just like you but I can't and I won't see it happen again and I don't want to live through that again and this is how it started last time and-"

"Masa. Masa," Sakumo cut through her babbling. "I completely understand. And I think we need to invest in some childproof seals."

Masa froze and stared up at him. "Wh… what?"

"I didn't give the boys my kunai," Sakumo said clearly. "They stole them. Where are they? We need to have a chat."

Masa looked confused for a long moment, before what her husband was saying caught up with her and annoyance flitted across her features – thankfully not aimed at Sakumo any longer.

"I'm going to kill them," she said with a resounding finality.

**-?-**

It was a tingling feeling that woke Sakumo that morning: a common shinobi alternative to a baby monitor. A series of seals and wards that alerted the one who set them to any significant increase in activity within the bounds drawn out. Sakumo had already woken up once this night with an alert, but a long moment listening carefully for the sound of a midnight fight or an assassin sneaking in to slaughter them in their sleep and he'd rolled over and drifted off again.

They were trying to teach the boys to sleep through the night, and not coming in every time they jumped out of bed to get attention was the adults' newest strategy. Still, this was the second time Sakumo had had his sleep robbed, and he looked over at the clock to see it was five thirteen am: a reasonable time to rationalise getting up. For a shinobi, at least.

Masa murmured something and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow. Sakumo winced: he hadn't meant to wake her. She'd come home late last night from her first out-of-village mission since she'd returned to work a month before.

Moving gingerly, he extricated himself from the sheets and pulled a sweater over his white cotton sleep-shirt to ward off the chill of the morning. Creeping out of the room, he slid the door to just ajar, the wood rolling silently on its well-oiled hinges, and he continued down the corridor towards the boys' room.

Pausing outside the door, he listened for a fact-finding moment. It was obvious they were up, though neither one was moving. How did he know they were up? He could clearly hear giggles through the wood.

"Shh!" That severely authoritarian toddler's voice could only belong to Kakashi. The younger was trying to quiet the elder. There was silence for a moment.

Giggle, giggle.

"Shh!"

Pause.

Giggle, giggle.

"Shhhhhhhhh!"

Deciding that was enough, Sakumo pushed into the bedroom. The smell of earth touched his nose, and he took in some telltale smudges on the floor and sheets curiously. Two lumps lay side-by-side on the bed (he needed to get them separate beds, didn't he?) covers pulled up over heads. One lump was giggling sporadically. The other continued to shush its partner. Sakumo grinned.

Three year old subtlety. Hilarious.

"Now, what are you two doing awake?" he asked, choosing to jump right past the 'I know you're awake, stop pretending' stage. There was no reply from the bed, though the shushing stopped abruptly. Sakumo moved to the bed and, with one flick of his wrist, flipped the blankets back from his sons' faces.

They were smeared with dirt. Their hands and sheets and pyjamas were filthy. Sakumo moved to the window and looked out: two of his dog-summons were curled up out there with some grungy bones between them, equally muddy.

"Riku. Gin," he said sternly. Both jerked awake and looked up guiltily. "When I said 'you can stay if you don't cause trouble', I assumed you would understand that that meant _not_ teaming up with my sons in the pre-dawn to dig up and steal Hime's bones."

Behind him, Obito whispered to Kakashi, "How did he know we did that?" Sakumo had to fight to keep his face angry when he heard Kakashi's matter-of-fact (and quite proud) reply.

"Daddy knows ev'rything."

**-?-**

"Sakumo-sama."

Said man blinked and looked around, finding the person who addressed him crouching on the kitchen windowsill. He nodded. "Hello, Tiger-san," he replied. Then, louder, to the house in general, "BOYS! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE! Is something _funny_, Tiger-san?" The masked ANBU had coughed quietly in such a way that _might _have hidden a chuckle.

"No, Sakumo-sama!" the ANBU replied quickly. "Just… it's… odd to see you acting so… paternal."

Sakumo blinked dryly at the man he'd shared several missions with in the past. "Haruko, I act paternal because I _am_ a father. As long as Masa's out of town, it's my job to get them to play dates on time."

The ANBU made an exasperated noise. "I'm in uniform, Sakumo-senpai – you can't call me that."

"I can do whatever I want," Sakumo informed the man. "What do you want, kid?"

The ANBU sighed heavily. "Hokage-sama wants to speak with you at your earliest possible convenience," he quoted monotonously. Sakumo nodded, correctly interpreting the polite phrasing for its true message: be at the Hokage Tower, five minutes ago.

"Alright," he said, mind whirring. He had to get his sons to the Academy – there was an activity morning going on there this Sunday and he had arranged for the boys to attend in an effort to get them among children of their own age – Kakashi in particular had trouble making friends, and the Uchiha clan had spread rumours about Obito that made parents leery about letting their children interact with him – but he couldn't delay meeting with the Hokage. For him to have sent an ANBU courier, it had to be important. Masa was on a mission and wasn't due back for another three days – after two weeks looking after two four year olds all alone, he was longing for her return.

"Boys!" he called.

"Comin' Chichi!" came an answering call – probably Obito, he decided, though it was hard to tell through three doors and a floor.

Ten minutes after they were supposed to be down, the sound of feet on the stairs announced the arrival of his sons. He smiled at the pair.

"Boys, this is Tiger-san," he introduced, grinning as he _smelt_ the confused worry beginning to form in the ANBU. "He is part of ANBU."

"Whoa," Obito breathed: Kakashi stared with wide eyes in awe at this white-armoured person. Tiger shifted uncomfortably as he nodded curtly.

"Hello."

"Hello, Tiger-san," the toddlers chorused sloppily. Tiger winced at the cuteness. He'd never done well with cute.

"Tiger-san is going to take you to the Academy for me today," Sakumo announced, making the ANBU in question start enough to fall off the windowsill and tumble into the kitchen sink which was, unfortunately, half-full of warm, sudsy water in which Sakumo had just finished washing that morning's breakfast dishes. "Oh, dear," Sakumo said dryly. "Are you alright, Tiger-san?"

"Senpai!" Tiger spluttered, rolling out of the sink and landing on the tiled floor with a wet splat. Even through the porcelain mask, Sakumo could see the panicked look his subordinate was giving him, and smiled winningly in return.

"Thanks _so_ much, Tiger-san," he said. "The boys will appreciate it. I have complete faith in you to look after _my sons_," he stressed the last two words, watching with growing amusement as Tiger winced again. "Remember – they need to be at the Academy in twenty minutes. Be good, boys! Ja ne!"

And then he was gone, vanishing in a twist of smoke – and he was the only one allowed to shunshin in and out of the Hatake residence without being torn to pieces by the wards – leaving Tiger and the two children staring at one another.

"Well… we should… go… then," Tiger said. He did _not_ like the grins that spread across the four year olds' faces.

Sakumo rushed to the Hokage Tower, wondering what could have happened. He brushed past the reception and climbed the stairs to the Hokage's large office. The chuunin outside the door, unexpectedly, waved him inside instantly, and so it was with a growing bad feeling that he pushed open the door and entered.

That bad feeling doubled when he saw an Uchiha representative – Uchiha Fugaku, a teenager, but a shrewd one, the man who would one day take control of the entire clan – and then increased by a power of ten when he saw the expressions on the faces of the Hokage and Fugaku.

"Ah, Sakumo," Sarutobi said, gesturing him inside. "Good, you came. We were just waiting for you. Come in, sit down."

Okay, _that_ just made Sakumo even _more _nervous. Ideas started flashing through his mind – had the Uchiha clan found a way to reclaim Obito? Had Tamasine hurt Masa when she was out of his protection, out of village? Had Masa expressed an interest in returning to the clan? Had the Uchiha clan finally proved him to be an unfit guardian? Was there something wrong with his funds – some loss of inheritance he hadn't been made aware of, weakening his financial backing and giving the Uchiha grounds for argument as to his custody of Obito?

"How can I help you, Sandaime-sama?" Sakumo asked, seating himself in the indicated chair. Sarutobi steepled his fingers, watching Sakumo with a sad expression.

"Sakumo, I am afraid I have some bad news," he said softly. Sakumo braced, ready to fight whatever was coming, mind already racing to try and form counterarguments to the accusations he hadn't heard yet. "Masa was killed on her mission."

The whole world ground to a very sudden stop. Sakumo froze, his mind uncomprehending what his ears had heard. "What?" he breathed. Sarutobi watched him sympathetically.

"Masa is dead," he repeated gently, aware that Sakumo needed to hear it again. "I'm so sorry, Sakumo-san."

Sakumo remained frozen for a few moments, before he shook his head. "No," he said weakly, "No. Masa – she's on a mission. It's just – just a border patrol, she's safe, it – she isn't in any real danger."

"The patrol was attacked by an invading force," Sarutobi explained, keeping his voice soft and gentle. "They were sent, we think, to test the waters and our strength. Hatake Masa and Tanshin Gin were killed, but the patrol managed to drive the invaders away. Fugaku-san was one of the survivors."

Sakumo felt cold, cold all over – shock, he recognised dimly. It was unusual for it to be brought on by emotion in a shinobi, but the death of one's wife was surely enough of a reason. He glanced at Fugaku, knowing – _knowing_ – that he had a bewildered, lost expression on his face.

His gaze sharpened when he looked the teen up and down – he didn't have a scratch on him. More than that, he was smirking – just a slight upturning of the corners of the mouth, a 'gotcha' if he'd ever seen it. He began to frown slightly as several things clicked into place.

Masa had told him that she was on a squad of five, which contained a clanless, civilian-born chuunin, herself and three jounin-level Uchiha. He had been reluctant to let her go, but she had laughed it off, saying she'd be fine, that all they could do was glare at her and she could out-glare any boy, so why should she worry?

But now she was dead, on what should have been a routine run. And the only survivors were part of the clan she had shunned, had publically humiliated and who viewed her as a thief, an adulteress and a kidnapper.

An inkling of doubt curled in his mind, just a hint of an idea that he didn't put into a conscious thought because it was too horrible, too frightening to think that arguably the most powerful clan in Konoha would brutally murder one of their own family members for the crime of escaping from an abusive situation.

Besides, there _had _been an invasion attempt, right? They had been happening more and more frequently, with increasing ferocity, as Iwa grew more confident. And the Hokage would have demanded proof before believing the story.

"Can I see her?" he asked, hating the way his voice came out strained and weak. Sarutobi nodded.

"I have sent a team to recover her body," he replied, painfully gently. "I'll alert you the moment she is brought in. However, the returning patrol was able to take this for you."

He held out his fist, and Sakumo extended his hand to let the Hokage drop something into it. He nearly cried when he saw what it was – a piece of carved bone in the shape of a stylised dog's head, the marker of the Hatake clan. It was traditionally given to the people who married into the family – the wife of the eldest son, generally. Sakumo himself had inherited it from his mother, who had been given it by his father on her wedding day. Sakumo had gifted it to Masa the day she had married him – aside from her place beside him in the bed and the title of his wife, it was the only thing that had ever belonged to Kita he had been able to bear giving to his second wife. Everything else of his first wife was either given to charity or stored carefully in the attic. Masa had worn it on a chain around her neck, next to her dog tags, and had never taken it off.

This also left him with a bit of a dilemma. Traditionally, he was supposed to give it to his eldest son, who would wear it until he passed it off to his wife, and if his other children wanted one, they could carve it themselves. But of his two sons, Obito was older, yet Kakashi was the only one with the Hatake name, blood and kekkei genkai.

Deciding to deal with the problem later, he slipped the bone piece into his pocket, not liking the way the Uchiha to his right smirked wider, as if fully aware of what was going on in his mind, that one wrong move could push Obito away irreparably.

"I am so, so sorry, Sakumo-san," Sarutobi repeated. He gave the silver-haired man a few moments to take this in, waiting patiently as Sakumo worked through the shock and grief and his shinobi side reasserted itself.

It took a while – a good five, ten minutes – before Sakumo raised his head and met the Hokage's eyes. His expression was perfectly – _painfully_ – blank, but he seemed reasonably in his right mind. Sarutobi sighed. Okay, time to rock his world on its axis for the second time today.

"May I be excused, Hokage-sama?" Sakumo asked neutrally. "I would like to find _my sons-_" he took care to stress the words for the second time that day, though this time it was with a far more possessive and dangerous undertone, "-and explain things to them."

"Not just yet, Sakumo-san," Sarutobi said reluctantly. "On the subject of your sons, Fugaku-san has a formal request to put to you."

Sakumo narrowed his grey eyes, looking at the Uchiha suspiciously. "Is that so?" he said coolly.

Fugaku narrowed his eyes right back, meeting the challenge head-on. "It is," he replied. Sakumo raised one eyebrow.

"Then by all means, go ahead, Uchiha-san," he invited. Fugaku clasped his hands behind his back and began to speak succinctly with an official air.

"Hatake-san, I have come before you to formally request the return of our child, Uchiha Obito, to the clan that birthed him upon the death of his mother."

Sakumo waited a moment: it seemed the teen had spoken his piece. "Is that all?" he asked, to be sure. Fugaku nodded, once. Sarutobi shifted.

"How do you answer, Sakumo-san?" he prompted.

Sakumo considered a brief moment. "No," he said flatly. "To be frank bordering on rude, Obito is my son, and I won't give him away as long as I'm alive."

Fugaku looked annoyed. "With all due respect, Hatake-san," he growled, his tone conflicting with his words, "The only thing that tied the child to you was his mother. She is now dead, so he should be returned to us. We will care for him, teach him how to control his abilities."

Sakumo met his gaze squarely. "You are welcome to visit with him, if it is your wish to know your relative," he allowed. "I will welcome any children you wish to send to play with him, and I will consent to arrange for him to enter under your supervision for play dates. I will also welcome tutoring if and when he activates his Sharingan in the future; however, I see no reason to break up our family further and separate him from his brother and father."

"You are not his father!" Fugaku snarled. "You share no blood with him!"

"He is mine!" Sakumo growled back, resisting the urge to rise to his feet to match the standing Uchiha, aware that the moment he did so, he damaged his own cause.

"You have no right to him!" Fugaku insisted. "He should be returned to his family! It is insulting that _you_, a clanless, self-built _nobody_, is still in possession of one of _our_ children when his real father is alive and well!"

Sakumo paused, just long enough to calm himself again and wrestle his rampant emotions back under control. Then he waited another few beats, making sure he was leaking no killer intent as he just stared at the teen. When Fugaku was stubbornly not-squirming under his gaze, he shifted it to the Hokage and leant forwards.

"Hokage-sama," he began, his voice level and reasonable. "May I please see a copy of the documentation that I signed the day I married Masa, confirming my adoption of her son, Obito?"

The Hokage nodded. "Of course, Sakumo-san," he said cordially, summoning his aide. Sakumo leant backwards and sat silently, broadcasting patient confidence, while they waited for the paperwork to arrive. When the aide returned with the heavy folder that was Sakumo's, it was placed on the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi flicked unhurriedly through it, aware that Fugaku was growing increasingly impatient.

"Maybe Fugaku should sit down," Sakumo suggested, adding another layer to the silent power play in the room. Fugaku stiffened.

"I am fine," he said acidly. Sarutobi didn't look up from examining papers, trying to find the correct one.

"No, sit, Fugaku. This could take a while, and we should all sit and discuss this rationally," he ordered. Fugaku scowled but sank into the chair next to Sakumo; Sakumo hid a smirk. Point to team Hatake.

"Here you are, Sakumo-san," Sarutobi said a moment later, handing over the adoption form. Sakumo lifted it and read over it, taking his time.

"Uchiha-san," he said, lowering the form and offering it to the younger man. "You and I are both shinobi, as was Masa, correct? As such, we can agree to defer to the Hokage in these matters, yes? That is why you have brought this up here, is it not?"

Fugaku took the form and nodded. "I suppose," he said grudgingly. Sakumo nodded back.

"Good," he said. "In that case, Hokage-sama, may I ask for an explanation? When I signed that adoption form," he gestured at the papers Fugaku was now suspiciously reading over, "I was of the impression that they secured me as Obito's legal father, authorised by you and his mother, because I had married his mother. Is that correct?"

"It is," Sarutobi agreed, his voice carefully neutral.

"I was not made aware that this legal claim would dissolve upon Masa's death," Sakumo continued. "Was I misinformed, or will that contract," again, he gestured at the adoption papers, "continue to uphold me as Obito's legal father?"

Sarutobi knew the answer, of course – he had arranged this whole affair himself, he knew all about it – but he took the papers back and checked anyway. "Yes," he said simply. Then, turning to Fugaku, "As a matter of law, Sakumo-san is the legal father of Masa-san's child."

It was Fugaku's turn to growl. "When concerning a clan member, Clan Law takes precedence," he replied testily, "And Clan Law dictates that when a parent of a child is killed, that child will be raised by another in the clan."

"Unless doing so is directly harmful to the child in question," Sakumo instantly shot back. "In which case, common law takes precedence, and Clan Law may be overlooked at the discretion of the Hokage. From your earlier statements, I gather you are planning to return Obito to his biological father?"

Fugaku scowled, but nodded. "Tamasine-san is a capable and responsible shinobi who has been an upstanding member of the police force for more than a decade," he said acidly, "He is more than capable to care for his own son."

Sakumo smiled thinly, ignoring the insult in his adversary's words – point to Uchiha. "May I?" he said to the Hokage instead, nodding at the file. Sarutobi nodded, pushing the file towards him.

"By all means," he replied. Sakumo quickly flicked through the papers, before pulling out a copy of Masa's divorce papers, which had been placed in his file upon his second marriage. The original copy was in Masa's file.

"Masa divorced Uchiha Tamasine-san through a fault-divorce," he said, pushing the divorce paper across the desk and tapping the section he wished to highlight, pointing it out to the Uchiha. "See? It says there that she had enough evidence to procure a divorce due to a fault on Uchiha Tamasine-san's part – namely, domestic abuse. In her official report (which was submitted to the police) it stated that he had repeatedly struck both herself and her son, who at the time was two years old, and sexually assaulted her in full view of the child. It also accused him of unlawful imprisonment, as she had not been permitted to leave the Uchiha compound for six months prior to her divorce without his express permission and constant supervision. It was found enough to procure a divorce and custody of her son, though the police chose never to follow up the claim."

His tone was light and matter-of-fact, but Fugaku's gaze darkened considerably. The score stood at two to one, in Sakumo's favour, as he spoke this latest slight.

"For this reason," he continued, turning to the Hokage, "I submit that the Clan-chosen guardian for _my son_ is unsuitable, and that it shows a serious lack of judgement on the part of the Uchiha clan, and therefore argue that common law and my guardianship of Obito should be upheld. If you were to examine Masa's will, you would find that it was her wish for this to be so."

Sakumo settled back in his chair and rested his hands, palm down, on his legs, the image of relaxed despite the way his heart was pounding in his throat. Sarutobi nodded.

"I am sorry, Fugaku-san," he said to the Uchiha, "But I find Sakumo-san's reasoning to be sound. Uchiha Obito will remain in the custody of his legal father, Hatake Sakumo. Have you anything else to say?"

Fugaku shook his head and stood, bowing shortly to the Hokage. "I thank you for your time." He left abruptly without waiting for a dismissal.

Sakumo sagged down in his chair the moment the door closed sharply behind Fugaku. "Thank Kami. I was scared for a moment, there," he admitted. Sarutobi smiled thinly at him.

"Well done, Sakumo," he praised. "But you need to be aware that if you were to die, the Uchiha clan has claim not only to Obito, but to Kakashi as well. I advise a careful revision of your will in the very near future. Now, I am assigning you three weeks' leave. No, don't protest – I want you to spend some time with your sons, and take some time to grieve. Not just for Masa, either. I don't believe you have truly grieved for your brothers or Kita yet, either. Take some time to try and take everything in. Why don't you take the boys to one of the hot springs nearby? They've never been to one, have they?"

Sakumo nodded. "No, sir," he said. "I might do that. Thank you for all your help."

He stood, and Sarutobi stood as a courtesy. "Dismissed," the aging Hokage said, and Sakumo disappeared.

Outside, the Hatake checked the time. He still had several hours before the boys needed to be picked up. Numbly, he made his way home, into his bedroom. Sitting on the bed, he looked around, taking in the objects and traces of Masa, his second wife. While hadn't loved her in any romantic or sexual sense, he already felt her loss keenly. Carefully, he smoothed out her pillow.

What was wrong with him? He was still in his early twenties – most men his age hadn't even married yet, and here he was, married twice over, each wife killed! Was he so unfit a husband that he couldn't even keep his wife _alive_? What did he do wrong each time? How had he failed in his oath to protect and care for his spouse – failed so _miserably_ – twice over? At the end of the day, was he really any better than Tamasine?

Sharp pain flared in his chest, making him pant. He pulled his feet up and lay out on the bed on Masa's side, laying his head on her pillow. He caught her scent hanging about the object and breathed it in, desperate to catch and remember it before time bleached it from his life, and all of a sudden it became too much.

Lying there in the empty house while an uncaring world bustled outside, Sakumo wept.

It was two days before Sakumo got up the nerve to explain things to his children. By this time even the unobservant Obito had picked up on his father's sombre mood and had dulled accordingly. Masa's body had been recovered, and Sakumo had gone to see her. She was too pale, and had been stabbed to the point of mutilation. In an instant, he had decided not to bring the boys to say goodbye – her face and upper body were relatively unharmed, though, so maybe he could have her re-dressed in unharmed clothing and let them say their goodbyes a few minutes before she was cremated.

It was evening when he chose to broach the subject, coming into the boys' room to listen to their prayers before they clambered into their shared bed. Vaguely, he made what had to be the twenty-third mental note to get them individual beds, but for now they shared the same raised bed – it was large enough that they could sleep comfortably side-by-side, and it didn't seem to bother them yet.

Carefully, he sat on the edge of the bed on the side nearest the door (Obito's side). Two sets of dark eyes blinked up at him, and for a moment he drank in the sight of the pair of them lying there, Kakashi looking exactly like him, only smallified, and Obito, with his mother in his face.

Pain stabbed through him once again as he looked at Obito. With the boy's dark hair and brown eyes, he looked nothing like a Hatake – he was all Uchiha, all _her_. Even his chakra mimicked hers, as young children's chakra often did, and the bittersweet sense of it filled Sakumo with a kind of mourning relief. At least with Obito around, he could never forget her.

"Boys," he began slowly, "I have something I need to tell you. Something important."

"Are you gonna sen' me away?" Obito blurted out; Kakashi sat up in bed, looking worried.

"Please don't send him away, Chichi," he pleaded. Sakumo blinked.

"Now, what are you two talking about?" he asked, settling more comfortably on the bed and leaning on one hand. The four year olds exchanged looks, before Kakashi spoke, his pronunciation and grammar better than many adults Sakumo knew.

"Don't send Obito away – he's my brother," he said forcefully. "I don't want him to leave."

"Why do you think I'm going to send Obito away?" Sakumo repeated. Another glance, and Kakashi spoke again.

"You've been looking at Obito, and acting all sad lately," he explained succinctly. "And Obito's name is Uchiha, so we thought maybe you'd found out there were other people in the village called Uchiha, and were going to send him to live with them."

Sakumo almost laughed at how close the boys had come to the mark – he'd come very close to _having_ to send Obito to live with the other Uchiha. It had literally come down to a few cleverly spoken sentences. He smiled comfortingly instead.

"No, boys," he said. "I'll never send you away. I promise – either of you. You are both my sons and I love you very much." Impulsively, he clambered further onto the bed, settling between the boys and drawing each one close. "Boys, I have to talk to you about Mama."

Again, two dark sets of eyes blinked up at him. "Mama's on a mission," Kakashi said helpfully: Obito was clinging to Sakumo's shirt and nodded into his side.

"She won' be back 'till a long time," he added. Sakumo sighed.

"Boys," he began again, "Mama won't be coming back. When she was on her mission, Kami decided that he wanted her to come and meet him then, which was sooner than anyone expected, but I guess he just knew how lovely she was and couldn't bear to have her away from him any more." Tears were filling his eyes and voice, but he continued doggedly, "She's been called back to heaven now." Then he stopped, waiting for a reaction.

"…When will she be back?" Obito asked in a small voice. Sakumo sighed and hugged him closer.

"She won't come back, son. Her time on this earth is through." Both boys looked ready to cry, so he hurriedly continued, "But you know what? She's waiting for us – for all of us. She's in a beautiful place where it's always warm, where she'll never feel hurt or lost or lonely or afraid, and one day – one day – Kami will go to her and tell her that it's time for us to come home, too, and she'll come and fetch us, and we'll all be together again, I promise."

Sakumo knew he had tears on his cheeks, and he almost didn't react when Hime padded into the room, jumped up onto the bed and settled at the foot, comforting him with her presence, just as she had after Kita had died. He had been so grateful for her those first few, horrible nights that had stretched on and on, when he'd prayed for them to never end because the dawn brought a day of hopelessness, when Kakashi had been the only thing stopping him from just ending it to be with his family again.

Slowly, Kakashi reached up and touched the tears on his father's face cautiously. "Did she want to go?" he asked candidly. Sakumo shook his head.

"No, honey," he said hoarsely. "No, she didn't. She wanted to stay here with you, and she's very sad Kami called her home now. But I guess heaven needed her much more than we do."

"Is she happy?" his little genius asked next. Sakumo nodded.

"Yes. She's in a place where she can't be unhappy, even if she longs for us to be there too." He chose each word carefully.

"Will you tell us about where she is?" Obito asked in a tiny voice. Again, the father nodded, lying down and drawing his sons onto his chest.

"Yeah… well, there are fields and fields of flowers – lilacs, white lilacs, Mama's favourite – and she can gather as many as she wants to, and golden streets that shine in the morning and glitter when the stars come out and…"

Tamasine was doing his rounds like a good little policeman several days later and paused out of sight near the park where several children were playing.

He gritted his teeth at what he saw. There was _his son_, playing hopscotch with a few clanless children and Hatake's blasted spawn.

Abandoning his patrol for the moment, he tilted his head to watch them, the Sharingan fazing over his vision as his anger grew.

That bitch he had married had done a good job in taking his child away from him, he mused bitterly. And apparently, according to the Clan Head, the stupid whore had managed to keep him out of his _real _father's house even after her own death.

What kind of Uchiha would rather trust some mutt-loving Outsider with one of their precious children, anyway?

Obito tossed his stone and it landed neatly in one of the squares chalked onto the ground and began to bounce from square to square towards it on one foot, following the numerical order written in each square – a basic game of hopscotch.

Tamasine felt an odd tug in his heart, a sort of longing as he watched the boy he didn't own laugh in a world he wasn't a part of.

Successfully reaching his stone, his son caught the thing up and danced off the chalk drawing, shouting something at the other kids he was playing with – encouragement, Tamasine guessed, for the tiny girl-toddler that was taking her turn after him.

As he spun around to run back to the others, Tamasine for the first time got a good look at the boy – he'd been looking at his back until now.

His hair had grown, and was wild and untamed.

He was far taller now – he was, what, four? Five? His eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed with laughter and exercise. He was wearing a light green shirt with a panting, patchwork puppy on the front – a far cry from the plain, dark Uchiha garb he was _supposed_ to be wearing.

And bouncing on his chest as he ran – Tamasine's gut clenched as he saw a small piece of white bone hanging on a black length of cord around his son's neck. Though he was some distance away, with the aid of his Sharingan, he was able to make out quite clearly the Hatake symbol that Obito was wearing so proudly.

It hurt, far more that Tamasine had expected it to. Tearing his gaze away from the boy he had sired but somehow had no power over, he fell back into trudging in a vast circle, following a well-rehearsed path as his patrol, unable to get the image of Obito, laughing while that piece of bone swung on its cord around his neck out of his mind.


	3. Boys Only

Chapter Two – Boys Only

Sakumo stepped inside the house, locking the door again behind him and turning to face the interior –

…And promptly dropped his bag out of sheer shock.

He had just gotten back from a three-day mission, leaving a genin team camping out in his living room to look after the boys – he'd even had it classed as a C-ranked mission to take into account the length of time and the sneakiness of the children that needed babysitting. It was his first longer-than-one-day mission since Masa had died, the Hokage trying to take his home situation into account when assigning missions. It was awfully hard to care for his sons without their mother there to help.

Point in case: the house was in chaos.

Furniture was overturned, papers and feathers were scattered everywhere, torn pillow cases lying here and there betraying where the down had come from, crayon drawings on the walls, food splattered along the floor, pink _paint_ on the _ceiling_…

How had they gotten paint up _there_?

No, scratch that, how had they gotten _pink_ paint?

…Or paint in the first place?

Okay, first things first: find the genin. He automatically made to toe off his sandals, but upon deliberation decided it would be safer to keep them on. Walking into the mess that had seventy-two hours ago been his house, he cast his senses out, looking for the chakra signatures of the genin he had employed.

He found them, huddling together in the cupboard under the stairs, and made his way over to them. When he pulled open the door, he blinked to see the trio – the girl, who had started with long green hair, now had short black hair which looked rather like it had been set on fire at some point. One of the boys was sporting a bleeding lip and torn shirt that displayed splattered toddler-food smeared into his chest, while the other looked like some kind of demented arts and crafts project gone wrong, with texta and paint all over him.

"What happened?" tumbled out of Sakumo's mouth before he could stop it. The genin stopped gawking at him and reacted.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here, White Fang-sama!" the girl said, sounding vaguely hysterical.

"Demon children!" one of the boys stuttered. "Clever, evil, slippery children…"

"Mission from hell," the third one concluded. Sakumo sighed.

"Oh, dear," he said. "Come on, out of there. Yes, out you come. Come on." He helped them out of the cupboard until they were standing, clutching at each other, in the middle of his trashed living room. Sakumo raised his voice. "Kakashi! Obito! Come here!"

There was a thump upstairs, and then a shout of "Daddy's home!" before little feet pounded on the stairs and two innocent-looking (if completely filthy) boys appeared.

They raced downstairs, but stopped when they saw the way Sakumo was standing.

"Daddy?" Obito said hesitantly.

"Front and centre, you two," the father said sternly. The boys stepped into line obediently. "Did you two have fun while I was gone?" Two heads bobbed enthusiastically. Sakumo hummed. "No doubt. Now, I want you to apologise for mentally scarring the genin team I sent to watch over you."

"We're sorry," they chorused, almost in time. Sakumo nodded.

"Good. Now, go to the bathroom. It's bath time. Genin," he turned to address the gobsmacked children as his sons left for the bathroom, perfect angels. "Good job surviving these last few days. I have a new D-rank for you – please set my house to order before you leave, and I will add it to the bill. Where is your teacher?"

"He… left. Said we'd be fine," mumbled one of the boys after a pause.

"Clearly he was wrong. No matter – I'll hire chuunin next time," Sakumo said lightly. He stepped over a shattered lamp on his way to the stairs.

_This does it,_ he thought_, I'm enrolling them in the Academy. I don't care if Obito's only just turned five, it's time I channel this destructive power into something legal._

* * *

"Keep up, boys!"

Two little boys hurried through the crowd, each trotting to keep pace with their daddy's long legs. Sakumo glanced back periodically, making sure they were right on his heels as he pushed through the 'first day throng' of parents, new enrolments, younger siblings and existing students outside the Academy.

"Hitokushi-sensei!" he called, finally catching sight of the man. Hitokushi turned, and smiled, his round face friendly and polite.

"Hatake-san," he replied in greeting – he always made it a point to address all parents with '-san', as they were all on even footing as parents of children in the Academy. "Good morning. Are these your boys?" He bent a little to smile at the four and five year old. Obito smiled back, one hand curling into Sakumo's combat pant leg, but Kakashi appeared to be overcome with shyness and hid behind his brother and father, eventually settling for hugging Sakumo's other leg and hiding his face.

"They are," Sakumo confirmed, one hand reaching to pet Kakashi's messy grey hair and the other stuck loosely in his pocket. "Kakashi and Obito. Obito's older by a little over half a year."

"Oh, yes," the aging shinobi before him said, looking down at the two boys again. "Masa and Kita's sons. I heard about your marriages – both of them – and the girls' deaths. Sad business, very sad." Hitokushi-sensei had taught Kita's little brother, beginning his career at the Academy two years after Sakumo graduated. He'd grown to know Masa when she'd done a teaching stint at the Academy herself in her late teens. Sakumo forced a polite smile and changed the subject.

"I hoped I might speak with you about the boys," he said succinctly. Hitokushi-sensei looked at him for a moment as if waiting for him to begin talking, before realising what the jounin was waiting for and turning, calling out to one of his aides. "Gin-sensei! Please come here for a moment!"

The teenaged chuunin rushed over, colouring when she realised she was being stared down by the White Fang himself. Hitokushi-sensei spoke quickly. "Gin-sensei, could you please take Obito-chan and Kakashi-chan and settle them in their spot ready for the initiation ceremony? I need to speak with Hatake-san for a moment."

Sakumo hid a smile at Kakashi's irritated frown at being called '-chan'. Poor kid couldn't stand the name, despite being all of four-and-five-months-old-which-is-plenty-grown-up-thank-you-very-much-daddy.

The boys were led away without much fuss, though Obito did look quite disconcerted at the idea of being taken away from his father. Hitokushi-sensei turned back to the eldest of the family. "Now, what is worrying you, Hatake-san?"

Sakumo hesitated a beat. "You understand that Obito is my son, legally speaking?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he moved on, "I need to be clear with you that neither of my sons are to be allowed to leave with people other than me or someone I specify to you can collect them, even if a person bearing Obito's surname should appear to take him 'home'."

Hitokushi accepted this with a simple nod. He wasn't privy to the details of whatever had happened with Masa-kun and her child, but gossip abounded to the point that he had some idea of the silent tug-o-war that was taking place over Obito.

"Also," Sakumo was saying, "Kakashi is… special. I get the feeling he won't be in bottom form for very long. Be gentle when you advance him, for Obito's sake, but wherever you decide he needs to be, just move him. He's downright _evil_, not to mention uncontrollable, when bored. Fair warning."

Hitokushi-sensei smiled thinly. "I am sure we'll be fine," he said simply.

* * *

Kakashi chewed his lower lip, totally unaware that the motion was devastatingly cute. The teacher's aide in fourth form was nearly convulsing from the sheer, overwhelming _kawaii_ that was this little boy.

Kakashi, unaware of the scrutiny, looked back towards the Academy, where his brother's class was in the room with the big window pointing this way. If he squinted, he could _just_ catch a glimpse of Obito's bright jacket through the glass.

The rest of his class, the youngest of whom was eight and the eldest of whom was eleven, were paired up, sparring. They were a scant two years from their scheduled graduation, though with the war brewing, it was entirely possible that the graduation standard age could be bumped back from twelve to as low as eight or nine.

"Kakashi-chan, you're going to be sparring with Keiko-kun. Do you think you're up to it?" the aide (what was his name again? Eh. The last two months had shown Kakashi that it was barely worth the effort to learn the names of his teachers, as he'd be shuffled to a new class almost as soon as he did so) asked Kakashi carefully. Kakashi looked up at the nine/ten-ish year old girl ready to face him. A _girl_! He huffed.

The girl looked about as excited at the idea of facing off against Kakashi as Kakashi was at the idea of fighting her. "Sensei," she began at a whine.

"No, Keiko!" the aide broke in snappishly. "We've been over this!"

Whatever they'd 'been over', the teacher did not reiterate, just glared until Keiko, scowling, fell silent. "Kakashi-chan?" The aide's voice gentled noticeably. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sensei," Kakashi said simply.

"Begin."

Keiko was moving before Sensei got the word completely out, forgoing tact and taijutsu and opting to just grab for the little brat.

Kakashi ducked under the first arm, dancing around behind the girl who was nearly twice as tall as he was. The textbook said to kick, but he wasn't tall enough, so he just put a hand on the back of each of Keiko's knees and pushed, hoping he wouldn't get marked down for it. It worked, sort of: Keiko wobbled, off balance, but he hadn't put enough strength into the shove for her to fall over and she recovered quickly, spinning around, though by then Kakashi was well out of reach and jigging to the side on his toes to keep behind her.

After spinning a full three-sixty and not catching sight of her companion, Keiko half-paused for just an instant, just long enough for Kakashi to launch himself at her back, ending up in a piggy-back position. His little arms locked in a deadly chokehold, left hand holding right elbow, even as his legs automatically wrapped themselves around her waist as if he was a little kid she was giving a ride to.

The impact was, fortunately, enough to knock Keiko over onto her belly on the ground, so Kakashi didn't have to attempt to strangle her or reposition to try something else. He only just got his arms out of the way in time before they were trapped under her and instantly grabbed the back of her head by her hair with one sure little fist. His left hand moved around and grabbed her chin, yanking her head around in a parody of a much more deadly manoeuvre.

Grey eyes met purple as he stared up at the teacher's aide, not seeming to notice the way everyone else in the Academy training field had stopped to watch him with open mouths.

"Manoeuvre two-four-oh in the deadly assault textbook," he said simply as Keiko lay limply underneath him – a quick (slightly worried) check revealed she just wasn't fighting, not that she had no choice but to lie there. "Technique forty-four of the unarmed hand-to-hand combat section. Deadly blow. Used to silence enemy sentries without alerting other foe." Having stated everything about the movement he had utilised, he fell silent.

The teacher's lips pressed together into a very thin line as he surveyed the four year and seven month old boy thoughtfully, purple eyes narrowed. Kakashi let Keiko's hair go and sighed. He knew that look.

Monday was going to mean a new classroom.

* * *

Obito gave a sleepy sound of protest and rolled over as the curtains were pulled back with an abrupt squeal, splashing light through the bedroom. It figured that the summer sun got up as early as his little brother.

"'Kashi…" he whined, his hand reaching next to him (the last place he'd known the boy to be) in order to swat him for his actions. Instead, the five year old found the soft white fur that swathed Hime, lying as she had been ordered on the bed between the two boys so as to prevent the bickering that had broken out well after bedtime last night. With a mumble, he buried his face in her soft pelt, hearing her amused rumbling.

Kakashi's sharp voice cut through his sleepy haze, cross as only a busy five year old could be. "I _told _you, Obito, I have to get up _early_ to _train_. And you should, too! Then maybe you'd be in top grade like me, instead of with the babies in second form!"

Obito rolled over and rubbed at his eyes, waking up despite himself. "Be quiet," he mumbled, snuggling down into the blankets. "School's not f'_hours_. I don' hafta be up yet! M'sleepy."

He heard Kakashi scoff as well as any grown-up and, and heard quiet footsteps approach, before the door cracked open.

"'Kashi?" Dad's soft voice called. "Are you ready to go?" There was a rustle, before Kakashi replied, "Yep. 'Bito's whining again."

There was a sigh, and a quiet laugh as a weight made the bed's mattress sink. "Is that so? I'm sorry, Obito. 'Kashi, try not to wake your brother up in the future, okay?" As he'd said yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before _that…_ A warm hand began to pet Obito's hair, and the Uchiha moved a little, cracking his eyes open to see Dad's face hovering above him. "Hey there," Sakumo chuckled. "Since you're up, would you like to come with us?"

Obito considered. Bed was tempting, but blowing up stuff with 'Kashi and Dad _never_ got old.

"Okay," he said, dragging himself out of the warm blankets and shivering as his bare feet hit the wooden floor. "I'll come."

Why break routine?

* * *

"Daddy!"

Sakumo looked up from his paperwork (mission reports _sucked_ – how had Jiraiya suckered him into writing it this time…? Damn the art of the k-thanx) as the front door slammed open and the sound of pattering feet reached him.

Closing his eyes, he mentally counted down from three. He reached one, and opened them again to see the door to his study edging open, a set of big eyes peeking into the forbidden room.

"Daddy?"

"I'm here, Obito," Sakumo replied, still feeling a childish thrill of victory at the address – Obito called _him_ 'Daddy', regardless of who had sired him. Take that, Uchiha clan.

Obito's dark eyes lit up and his pushed the door open fully, but he didn't take a single step inside the threshold. Sakumo watched him raise himself up on his toes, bouncing in his apparent excitement, pleased that he didn't enter. It was one of the only iron rules in the Hatake household – the study was out of bounds without an express invitation to enter from Sakumo, and even then the father had to be present at all times. The reason was that he kept his weapons stored in this room, as well as important documents like mission orders and passports which he _really_ didn't want to get turned into paper doll cut-outs or paper planes to be tested out in the park, but it had the secondary advantage of teaching the kids obedience and restraint.

"Take off your shoes and you can come in, son," he said, and Obito instantly dropped to the ground, tearing off his sandals, which he had obviously either forgotten to or been too excited to take off at the front door, and Sakumo braced himself as the six year old launched himself at his adoptive father, ending up on the silver-haired man's lap.

"Daddy, Daddy, you'll _never_ guess what happened!" he chattered excitedly. "It's so cool – guess! C'mon, guess!"

"Obito!" A new voice called through the house before Sakumo could answer. "Where did you go? _I _want to tell Daddy!"

"Then come and tell him!" Obito shouted back. "Hurry up, 'Kashi!"

"I'm coming!" More running sounds. Sakumo sighed at the din two children could make. Did they _have _to converse from opposite ends of the house?

The five and a half year old miniature Sakumo appeared quickly, barefooted and interestingly flushed with the same sort of excitement as Obito – unusual. Sakumo's interest was piqued, despite the fact that he had a good idea what had his boys so worked up.

"Come in, Kakashi," he said when the youngest Hatake hesitated obediently at the door. When Kakashi had joined his brother on Sakumo's lap, the adult leaned back and said, "Okay. Now, someone tell me what's so exciting."

Obito lit up, but a look from Kakashi made him bite his lip in an effort not to say anything, letting his brother talk. When he did so, Kakashi's voice had gone quiet and composed.

"Father?" he said carefully. Sakumo inclined his head, careful not to smile. "I was promoted to genin today."

"Were you?" Sakumo was still valiantly Not Smiling. He knew it. He'd had the notice for months now that Kakashi was very nearly ready to graduate – in fact, he'd received his first one barely twelve weeks after he had enrolled his youngest son in the Academy to begin with. And of _course_ he'd known that Kakashi was taking the final graduation test today – not only had his sons (both of them) reminded him of it at varying volumes and frequencies throughout the past week, but he had had to sign a form saying he allowed the early graduation of his son, should Kakashi happen to pass the test. He had thought long and hard about whether or not to add his signature to that paper, teetering between yes and no.

He had no problems with early graduation, but right now the little boy in his arms looked awfully young to be thrust into the world of the shinobi, especially as said world seemed to be growing uglier every day. It was times like this he wished Kita or Masa were still around, to give him some good stern advice.

"Yes, Father," Kakashi said, his eyes lowered in a failed attempt to hide his pleased expression. "See? I have a hitai-ate."

Sakumo accepted the headband thrust towards him as proof, examining it in his hands, a thrill of pride at the thought that _his son_ was a shinobi rushing through him. It was far too big to _ever_ fit Kakashi, even if they bent it – he could just about use the thing as a belt, he was so little. "I see," he said. Then, after a pause, "I am very proud of you. Well done."

Kakashi's little face lit up with the delight he'd been trying to control, and he broke into a wide grin. Obito, patience spent, burst forth with a babble, "It's _so_ cool, Daddy – he answered all the questions and stuff and Sensei came and spoke to him in lunch time and told him he had passed it and had to take the next bit of the test and 'Kashi went and did his bunshin and kawarimi just like we practiced in the yard and then walked up the wall when they asked if there was anythin' else he wanted to show 'em and they passed him! It's so cool!"

Sakumo was finally allowed to smile now the formal air had been shattered and he did so widely. "Did he?" he said, ruffling Kakashi's silver hair proudly. "Good job, son."

Kakashi swelled with pride. "It was _easy_," he boasted. "Even the written test."

Obito giggled. "Yeah, but you were _real_ nervous!" he accused. "You were all pale and stuff before they called you, and you kept making me practice with you!"

"Was not!" the five year old instantly protested.

"Were too!" the six year old insisted.

"Was not!"

"Were _too_!"

"Nii-_san_!"

Sakumo winced as the boys rolled off his lap, wrestling, and lifted a forgotten cup of tea off the desk a second too late as they bumped into one of the desk's legs, splashing the cold liquid all over the papers he had been labouring over. In truth, he didn't mind as much as one might think.

He was hugely relieved with the way Obito had taken this new distinction between himself and his brother. Though Kakashi was younger than the Uchiha, he had been bumped up to the top form in school within weeks of his enrolment, while Obito had stayed in a much more age-appropriate class. It had been necessary – Kakashi was indisputably a genius, and had needed the more advanced material to prevent him from going insane and burning the school to the ground in an attempt to relieve his boredom. Kami knew he'd been a diabolical toddler when he'd gotten bored, and Sakumo shuddered to think what he'd be capable of now if left unattended and unoccupied for any length of time.

On the same token, Sakumo worried that it was damaging to Obito to watch his younger brother race ahead of him in leaps and bounds. It was a real concern that the dark-haired child might begin to resent Kakashi for his abilities, and Sakumo could even see him come to the conclusion that Kakashi was the favourite son, especially as Kakashi was the only one who held the Hatake name, and Obito didn't yet fully understand why he was left out.

Despite all this, it seemed that reality was nothing like Sakumo had feared. Obito just seemed to accept that 'Kashi's real smart', and just expected him to be able to do all sorts of things the Uchiha could not do himself. Whenever he spoke of the difference between them, it was always in much the same tone as he might use to say, "Oh, look at that. The sun rose this morning."

"I think this calls for celebration," Sakumo said over the noise of the two boys' fight. "Why don't we go out for dinner tonight? Kakashi, you choose where we go."

Kakashi looked a little uncertain, and looked to his brother for assistance. Obito chewed his lower lip.

"Dango?" he suggested, picking a food he knew both he and Kakashi enjoyed. Kakashi nodded instantly.

"Yeah," he agreed. Sakumo grinned, standing up and setting his tea down on the table again, looking at his ruined paperwork and deciding to just tell Jiraiya to write his own damn report.

"Dango it is, then," he said, grabbing Obito's arm and lifting him easily to place him on his left hip before grasping the back of Kakashi's shirt and pulling him up onto his father's right hip. The two little boys clung to him, hanging on like little monkeys, and both shrieked with delighted laughter as Sakumo swung them around before giving them a ride downstairs to get ready to go out.

* * *

"Oi! Puppy-kun!"

"Get out!" Sakumo hollered through his house, conveniently forgetting the way he scolded his sons for doing just that. "Hime, get him out." The white dog gave him an amused look that clearly conveyed '_Oh, I think __**not**__, Hatake-san_' and stood, stretching casually and jumping up onto the sofa in the living room to curl and sleep. Sakumo watched her sourly. "Traitor," he said.

A shaggy white head poked in through the kitchen door. "Oh, there you are, 'Kumo," it said.

"Hello, Jiraiya," Sakumo sighed. Jiraiya huffed.

"Well, is that any way to greet your best friend in the whole wide world?"

"What happened to Kai?" he asked dryly. Jiraiya entered the kitchen without invitation and hit him upside the head.

"What about Kai?" he sniffed. "_He_ didn't do nearly as much for you as I, your wonderful friend the Legendary Jiraiya, have done for you! My blood, sweat and tears that I have invested in Konoha's youth now turn to aid the fruit of your loins in reaching his full potential-"

"Jiraiya, I thought we agreed never to talk about my loins again," Sakumo said sternly. "Honestly, man, are you _completely _unable to say _anything_ without mentioning reproductive organs?"

Jiraiya looked miffed at having his speech interrupted. "I was _trying_ to be poetic, you know," he said, crossing his arms and huffing. Sakumo sighed and finally set aside his morning paper, looking up from his seat at the kitchen table.

"What do you want, then? Just say it plainly, _without_ talking about sex. Please."

"You're no fun anymore, 'Kumo," Jiraiya whined, helping himself to a cup of tea from the pot before Sakumo and flinging himself into another chair. Sakumo looked mournfully at his paper – he had precious little time to himself, and Thursday morning when the boys were at school was one of the precious few quiet times he had. Oh, well.

"I was never fun," he said tolerantly to his friend. Jiraiya broke into a grin and conceded the point.

"Okay, I pretty much just came to gloat," he admitted quickly. Sakumo raised one silver eyebrow. "My genin-turned-chuunin-turned-jounin (time really gets away on you, doesn't it – yesterday he was this big and now he's eighteen) is going to apprentice _your_ son."

The other eyebrow joined the first. "The blonde one?" he said, remembering seeing the bright little boy with vividly blonde hair trotting after Jiraiya. Sakumo had only seen him every now and again – mostly when he'd interrupted training to yell at Jiraiya for spying on Kita, Masa or Ryuu in the bath again – but he'd heard all about him in great detail from Jiraiya's proud (and sometimes drunk) boasting.

Apparently, he was the greatest thing since sharp kunai.

"Uh-huh!" Jiraiya was saying. "Namikaze Minato. He'll be a good brat for your brat, brat."

"You need to think up some new nicknames for people, 'Raiya. Minato, apprenticing Kakashi, though? Isn't he a little young?" Sakumo asked, concerned. He'd prefer to have Kakashi held back a few years than given to a rookie jounin too green to teach – that was one way to get them both killed.

Jiraiya scoffed. "Hokage doesn't think so. Minato's very talented, 'Kumo, and old for his age. He'll look after your kid – I'd stake my life on it."

"You already have," Sakumo said mildly. "Because if anything happens to Kakashi, it's you I'll blame. Don't look at me like that, I know you set this whole thing up."

There was exactly two minutes and fourteen seconds of silence before the pair made a unanimous decision to go out to the nearest training ground and attempt to dismember one another until it was time to pick the children up from school.

* * *

Kakashi stared up at the man before him. Way up there, blonde hair scraping the sky, the man stared back as they walked along the street.

After a few moments, the man reached up to rub the back of his head. "Maa, so why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, Kakashi-kun?"

_At least he didn't call me Kakashi-chan_, the young Hatake thought dully.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi," he said. "I am five years and seven months old." The adult tilted his head.

"I already knew that, Kakashi-kun," he said patiently. "You are the son of the White Fang, aren't you?"

Kakashi nodded. "He's the best ninja in the _world_," he said stoutly. "He even beats Jiraiya-jiji when he comes over!"

The man had begun to grin. "Sensei didn't mention that," he murmured, before saying louder, "What's your favourite colour?"

"Black," Kakashi replied obliquely. "Who are you?"

"Maa, sorry, Kakashi-kun, I thought you knew. I'm Namikaze Minato, your new teacher!" The blonde smiled so widely Kakashi wondered how his face didn't crack.

"Oh. Namikaze-sensei, where are we going?"

"Just call me Minato-sensei, Kakashi-kun. I'm going to buy you some ramen, to celebrate the fact that we became a team today!" Kakashi idly thought that this man sure had a lot of energy, bouncing around like that.

"Tousan says that ramen's bad for you – too many carbohydrates and saturated fats, with no protein, vitamins or minerals."

"What are you doing, knowing all those words?" Minato-sensei dodged the statement easily. "You're far too young to know or care about protein and _vitamins_." Kakashi felt a tick of annoyance.

"I'm a shinobi, Minato-sensei," he pointed out, fingering the hitai-ate tied loosely around his neck – until he grew into it, Daddy had said. Minato grinned.

"So you are. And I'm your teacher, as of today. And to celebrate, we're having ramen!"

"This has become a circular conversation, Sensei."

"And that's another big word you shouldn't know."

"…Are you _sure_ you're a jounin?"

"Oi!"

* * *

Sakumo was waiting by the garden gate, his arms folded over his chest, watching the sun sink slowly.

It was getting late for Kakashi to be home – Obito had come home from the Academy all by himself more than an hour ago and was sleeping peacefully with Hime on his bed in what had started as a wrestle and ended as an afternoon nap.

A pair of people – one tall, one short – appeared at the end of the lane, and Sakumo refused to show his relief.

"You don't have to walk me home, Sensei, I'm not a baby," Kakashi was saying, irritable in the way he only was when he was overdue for sleep – not that either of Sakumo's sons would admit to still needing a daily afternoon nap.

"I know that, Kakashi-kun, but I wanted to," the boy's blonde companion replied: Sakumo took a moment to notice how tall the kid had gotten, and the patience in his voice that hadn't worn a bit in the hours he'd been in the boy's company.

Sakumo reached out and pushed the gate open. "Welcome home, Kakashi," he said gruffly, looking down at the boy.

"Good afternoon, Father," Kakashi replied politely, if a little coldly from his irritation.

"Go inside to your room," Sakumo ordered, not needing to add a command to sleep – he would act gruff and chillingly shinobi in youthful public, but he wasn't going to embarrass his son unduly. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, Father," he answered, shooting him a grateful look. "Goodbye, Minato-sensei."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kakashi-kun," Minato replied. _Well, at least he doesn't call him Kakashi-chan_, Sakumo thought dryly. Kakashi nodded and left, entering the cool house with a sigh of relief that Sakumo's canine-esque ears just caught.

"So," he said quietly, weighing the blonde teen before him with his eyes. "You are the teacher chosen for my son."

"Yes, sir," Minato said. "It is a pleasure to meet you properly, Hatake-sama." He bowed low from the waist, and Sakumo was pleased with his manners. "I look forward to the opportunity to teach your son," Minato continued, straightening. "After spending the afternoon with him, I have found that he is a very bright and intelligent boy."

"He insulted you, didn't he?" Sakumo asked dryly. Minato blinked.

"No… not exactly," he said, looking suddenly awkward and nervous – Sakumo suspected that he was worried how Kakashi would be punished if he was truthful about the extent of Kakashi's rudeness.

"What did he say?" Sakumo pressed. Minato looked put upon, and sighed.

"Maa," he stalled, rubbing at his own blonde locks, "He questioned whether I was a real jounin, and later we got into an animated discussion about whether dogs or toads were better summons. He had some rather forceful opinions on the matter."

Sakumo gave a barking laugh. "Well, he would," he said, amused. "Good day, Minato-san. I must be going now. Perhaps we will see each other again some time."

"I look forward to it, Hatake-sama," Minato said, bowing briefly again in farewell. "Have a pleasant evening."

Walking back inside, Sakumo toed off his sandals on autopilot, his mind revolving around the conversation he'd just had. Maybe this Minato boy wouldn't be _such_ a bad teacher for 'Kashi, then…

He paused outside his sons' bedroom where he heard the sleepy voices talking inside.

"What's he like?" Obito was asking. His answer was a yawn, before Kakashi replied, his grammar severely damaged by his fatigue, "A bit idiotic, really. Kept on talkin' about ramen an' clouds an' some story 'bout a cricket an'-" Another yawn, "-an' stuff. An' askin' me stuff like 'Kakashi-kun, what's your fav'rite colour' and 'Kakashi-kun, what's your fav'rite thing to do at the park' an' stuff."

"Well," Obito replied, and Sakumo knew from the sound of his voice that he was nearly asleep again despite the excitement of Kakashi meeting his jounin instructor, "At least he didn't call you K'kashi-chan…"

Sakumo's low laugh joined the boys' sleepy giggles.

* * *

Twin1: Mmkay, so this took longer than anticipated…

Twin2: (muttered) Just because _some_one decided she was gonna change the timbre halfway through and forget where she was in the timeline…

Twin1: Shut up! No comments from the peanut gallery! Anyway, the next chapter may take an unfortunate amount of time as well. This story is, well…

Twin2: The cutesiest she's got in circulation, and letting her muse at it whilst in the _Dogtags _mindset is just a really, really bad idea. There've been enough deaths as it is…

Twin1: On a totally unrelated note: review? (puppy eyes of doom!)


	4. Growing Pains

**Chapter Three – Growing Pains**

Sakumo had a problem. In his mind, he saw Kita begin to giggle and Masa scoff and say "More than _one_, 'Kumo", but each apparition disappeared before she could give advice on the raising of her offspring. So Sakumo was left alone with Hime, who was watching him with her big brown eyes laced with amusement, offering no help whatsoever.

Kakashi was six now, a chuunin already. Obito, at seven, was in third form at the Academy. This was a non-issue in everyday life, but it did present a few sticking points.

"What do I do?" he asked his dog. She shrugged at him.

_Your pups, your problem_, she replied. Sakumo scowled at her.

"Why don't we try that philosophy, only change it to 'your _food_ your problem', hmm?" he snarked. Hime sniffed, a long pink tongue licking her white paw daintily.

_You wouldn't dare._

Sakumo gnashed his teeth at her threateningly, before swallowing as the children at the heart of his dilemma appeared in the living room. Obito was carrying an armload of linen and Kakashi was almost invisible behind the mountain of rope he was bearing. He was chittering away so quickly that Minato-sensei would have an aneurism to see him. The silver-haired child was usually sombre and quiet, but with his brother he suddenly came _alive_.

"And then the baker said 'Well how do you _know_?' and Minato-sensei was like 'Because I'm a _ninja_, it's my _job_ to know' and the councilman was all like 'Well since you're a shinobi we'll believe you but why do you have a small child along' – yes, _again_, you'd think he'd be _over_ it by then, right? –and then the cottage was attacked by a _bear_ and I killed it just before it was about to eat the spinster and she started to _cry_ all hysterically, and Minato-sensei started laughing 'cause he'd thought it was Hiro attacking and then the _explosions_ started-"

"That is so cool!" squealed Obito. Clearly, Kakashi was detailing his last mission for the Academy student while the pair of them built a fort in the backyard. Sakumo cleared his throat.

"Boys? I want to talk to you."

The pair paused, mid-way through the living room, and looked at their father. As one, they set their burdens down where they stood and moved closer until they were standing directly before the easy chair where Sakumo had seated himself.

"I'll tell you the rest later," Kakashi promised his brother, who nodded, then the pair of them turned expectantly to their father. Sakumo swallowed again, well aware that even Hime was watching him interestedly.

"Boys," he said again, mostly as a delaying tactic. Then he sighed and shifted, leaning forwards in his chair. A split-second pause and he moved once more, sliding out of the chair to kneel in front of his sons, coming to just below eye level with Obito. Kakashi, he was exactly level with. He reached out a hand to each of the children. "Boys," he said again, his tone drastically different, "There's something we need to resolve."

The kids looked at each other, then back to their dad, confusion written across both faces. Sakumo examined their expressions and made a decision. Letting go of Kakashi, he turned to his eldest, spotting the black cord that held the bone piece securely around his neck, tucked safely beneath his shirt. "Obito," he said. "You're a really good big brother, you know that, right?"

Obito blinked, and looked at Kakashi again. In truth, neither of the boys really thought in terms of 'big brother' and 'little brother' – similar to a set of twins. Sure, Obito was older, but Kakashi was a _chuunin_. That was cool enough to make up for the uncoolness of being little, so they evened out. But Kakashi was nodding – he, at least, when he stopped to think about it, thought that Obito was a _great_ big brother. At least Obito played with him, unlike Asuma's big brother, who completely ignored _him_.

"You're bigger than Kakashi – not by much, I know, but you are – and you always want to help him, to share with him. Just like Kakashi wants to help you and share with you," Sakumo admitted, glancing at the silent boy with whom he shared blood. Both of his kids were looking at him with blank, bewildered faces. They shared yet another glance, clearly silently conveying the unanimous conclusion that Dad Had Gone Crazy.

"Now, I'm going to ask you to share something… big," Sakumo finally got to the point of this conversation. He watched two sets of eyes widen a fraction.

"…Big?" Obito asked. Sakumo nodded.

"'Bito, you know that in our family – the Hatake family – we have some certain rights that no one else has." Obito didn't show any signs that he knew what the blazes his dad was babbling about, but the ever-quick Kakashi drew in a sharp, excited breath, eyes lighting up as he figured out what was happening, before darkening in longing jealousy when he remembered that he wasn't the oldest, that he would have to wait maybe for years for this same honour. Sakumo smiled just a little and lifted a neat little scroll from where he had put it on the floor beside him. Balancing it on his hands in front of him, he let the children look at it.

"This is a binding contract, son. When I was about your age, I signed my name on it, as my father and grandfather did in turn. It is an agreement between us as a family and the dogs we summon."

Obito gave a little squeak as he finally caught up and both hands flew up to slap over his mouth. "No _way_!" he squealed though his fingers. Kakashi still looked put out, but he hoisted up a smile when the dark-haired brother turned to him.

"Cool, nii-san," he said. Then, seeming to set aside his newfound longing to be the oldest for once, he grinned for real and said, "Just think of how awesome you'll be _now_! Watch out Konoha!"

"Yeah!" Obito agreed, excitement mounting. Sakumo tucked the summoning scroll under one arm and held up a hand to stop them both in their tracks.

"Hold on. Obito, you're seven whole years old now. That's plenty old enough to add your name to this scroll. But, honey, Kakashi is already a chuunin. He's only six, but before long, he'll be too busy, his training too far advanced to be able to adjust to handling a pack. So, I'm going to ask you something that's not fair. Even though this is supposed to be for you, _just_ for you, I'm going to ask you to share this with your brother."

Here, Sakumo paused to let Obito sort out his request. Internally, he was praying for a good reaction. He had been forced to go to great lengths just to get his canine comrades to accept Obito, going so far as to visit the summons' realm in person to explain the nature of his situation. Once the dogs had been convinced (with the help of Hime's testimony) that Obito was Sakumo's son in every sense except blood and name, they had agreed to accept him as a summoner readily enough.

"Dad…" Obito was studying him intently, trying to understand. His tone was just a touch sad, but very resigned. "Do you mean… do you want me to let 'Kashi sign the scroll first? And me wait a while, 'cause he's a chuunin and I'm still in the Academy?"

"No," Sakumo said firmly and without hesitation. "Never. What I want, sweetheart, is your permission for Kakashi to sign the scroll as _well_ today, and for him to help you build a pack together."

There was a pause. Then Obito gave a squeal and jumped in the air.

"D'ya hear that, Kashi!" he hollered, "We're _both_ gonna getta do this! _Together_!"

Kakashi's dark eyes were shining and he did a little jig on his toes in excitement. "Really?" he asked his father. "I can _really_ do this too? Even though I'm littler?"

Sakumo nodded. "If it's alright with Obito," he said solemnly. Kakashi turned to Obito instantly. The once-Uchiha grinned widely.

"You betcha!" he cheered. "Yeah! Let's do it! Can we do it _now_, Dad?"

Sakumo chuckled and walked them through the act of signing the scroll in their blood. The ancient parchment hissed ominously when Obito's blood touched it, but nothing happened as Sakumo guided the seven year old's little hand to form solid kanji spelling out his name. Kakashi had no such need of aid, but Sakumo gave it anyway, helping Kakashi's sure little hand to write out the two words neatly.

The man had thought long and hard on how to approach the issue that was the actual acquiring of their first puppy. Generally, one attempted to summon a dog until a puppy appeared – one pre-selected by its mother to go to the new summoner and nudged into responding to the call by her when it became steady and practiced enough. But only one puppy at a time, especially at first, was all that was strictly wise, and Sakumo had no intention of short-changing either his sons or the dogs by overrunning his household. Hence, one pup between the two of them. Chances were Obito would struggle with this anyway, so it would be best for him not to be responsible for a pack all by himself.

Still, in order to avoid the problem of who would complete the initial summon, Sakumo had collected the puppy assigned to his children in person. He now nodded at Hime, who stood gracefully, uncurling herself to reveal a small brown object that snuffled its protest at the loss of its warm fur blanket.

The boys gasped as Sakumo gently lifted the thing and showed it to them.

"This, my sons," he said seriously, "Is your first puppy." Kakashi reached out as if to take the dog from his father, but stopped halfway and instead nudged Obito. The elder boy, after looking in surprise at Kakashi (whom he had expected to take the lead) gingerly picked the pup out of his father's large hand, holding it awkwardly in both of his own. It began to squirm, so he clutched it to his chest, and Kakashi giggled, gently petting its downy brown head.

"Its nose is all squished! And his eyes are closed!" he exclaimed. "Look, Dad, look!"

"He's very young," Sakumo explained. "Hime will look after him in place of his mother for a few weeks, but he's yours to raise. I'll teach you how to train him and care for him as we go, and if you ever have any trouble, just come ask me and I'll help."

"He's so cute," Obito cooed, wanting desperately to feel the bright pink paw pads and see if they were as soft as they looked but not daring to move lest he drop the tiny, snuffling thing. "What's his name? Does he have one? Do we have to give him one?"

Sakumo and Hime shared a chuckle. "His mother named him," Sakumo replied. "Pakkun, he's called."

"Pakkun," echoed Kakashi.

"Pakkun," agreed Obito. Then he thrust the unfortunate puppy at his brother. "Your turn! You hold him now!"

Sakumo returned to his chair to watch the boys fuss over the puppy, who was really too little to handle much more than eating and sleeping but was giving playing a good go anyway. "That went well," he remarked to Hime. She hummed, coming closer to lay a head on his knee.

_That is going to be one spoiled puppy_, she remarked. Sakumo laughed.

"The first one always is, my darlin'," he drawled, cupping the face of his own first dog and petting her silky fur. "She always is."

=/=

Kakashi was waiting impatiently at the Academy gates for the final bell to ring. Normally, the eight year old wouldn't be caught _dead_ near here, but today was different. Today, he was here for his brother.

Obito was three weeks away from his ninth birthday, and stood a whole hand taller than the chuunin Kakashi. He was in top form now, and Kakashi was vaguely aware that he struggled with schoolwork – particularly with theory – but had never really registered it beyond helping occasionally with homework. To Kakashi, who had always grasped everything he had been given to learn with the same ease as one might draw in a breath, it was nearly impossible to imagine Obito being unable to understand and remember things just as easily. He had long since accepted that that was just how his big brother was, and moved on. Obito had other strengths – he could make friends in a way Kakashi had never been able to, and could know why Tousan sometimes was cross when they hadn't done anything, or looked at pictures with a sad look on his face, when Kakashi could not for the life of him understand.

The eight year old bounced up onto his toes as the bell rang, eagerly awaiting his brother with a carefully controlled measure of excitement.

The moment he spotted Obito, though, walking with his head down and feet dragging, his hopes plummeted. He quickly swept the hitai-ate he had finally begun wearing on his forehead off and stowed it in his pocket.

"Obito! Obito-niisan!" he called to get the older boy's attention, pushing through the crowds. Obito looked up and smiled.

"Kakashi!" he called back, making his way through the crowd. "You came to meet me!"

"I promised I would," Kakashi replied shortly. There was a pause. Then, "You didn't pass the test." Instantly, the younger boy winced. That would just make him feel worse! He felt his cheeks begin to heat and suddenly wished he was wearing the mask he donned for missions so people didn't recognise 'the White Fang's brat'. "Sorry… I didn't mean to just… say it like that…"

Obito, surprisingly, laughed. "S'okay," he said, looking happier. "It means I know it's you! Nah, I didn't pass it. Next time, I'll get through – just you wait!"

Kakashi grinned back. Obito had, for the second time, failed the graduation test. He wasn't old enough for it to matter yet, but it did mean that he was stuck in the boring old Academy for another year or so.

"Race you to the store?" Kakashi suggested. "I got paid today – we can get an ice-cream?"

Obito grinned wider. "You're on!" he said. "But no-one tell Daddy."

The pair disappeared in a blur.

The afternoon passed quickly, and it wasn't long before the two children were returning home with sticky fingers and smiling faces.

The smiles slipped away instantly when they reached their homes, each child losing his exuberance as he realised something was wrong. Several men were standing outside, angry in face and posture.

"Come out here, Hatake!" one shouted.

"You can't hide forever!" another added.

"What's going on?" Obito asked his brother nervously; Kakashi chewed his lower lip worriedly.

"Dunno…"

The pair made their way closer, each trying very hard not to look spooked, each keeping a careful watch out of the corner of his eye to make sure his brother was right next to him every step.

They had just reached the small group gathered on their lawn and were shyly edging through them when the door opened and Daddy stepped outside, Hime beside him and a tired expression on his face. That expression vanished instantly when he saw his sons among the men outside, and he barked, "Kakashi! Obito! Come here, _now_!"

Something about the way he said it told the boys that this was an order to obey immediately, and the eight year olds both bolted for their father. Sakumo reached out for them, lifting Kakashi (the first one to reach him) with his right arm and tugging Obito close protectively with his left, staring at the people in front of him.

"Musashi, Shinosuke," he said to the ringleaders, his voice guarded. "What do you want?"

The men looked angry, but faced with the two young faces looking at them in confusion, didn't burst forth into their prepared angry rant.

"…Send your boys away, Sakumo," the one called Musashi said tightly. "We need to talk to you."

Sakumo looked at him sadly. "I never thought I'd have to ward my house against you, Musashi," he said carefully. "I was under the impression we were friends."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Musashi burst out in face of the thinly veiled accusation. "Don't you realise that we're at _war_ now? Because of _you_!"

"Should I have let Kai die?" Sakumo shot back, setting Kakashi down and pushing both boys behind him, into the house. "And Ryuu? It was in my power to save them, so I _did_. Are you honestly going to condemn me for that?"

Shinosuke, unable to keep quiet any longer, exploded with, "Not at the cost of this war! Two lives – _two lives_! _My sons_ have already died in this stupid conflict because of your decision – there's your two lives! And that's just the start of it! How could you let this happen, you bastard?"

Sakumo almost flinched at the thought of Shinosuke's twin genin sons, killed the day Iwa declared war on Konoha. Without turning, he said in a low voice, "Kakashi, Obito, go inside, please. Help Obito with his homework, Kakashi, and when that's done you can both sharpen and re-bind the kunai on the table. Hime, make sure they stay in the kitchen, please."

"But-" Obito tried to protest, wanting to stay and hotly explain to these men that _they were wrong_ and _Daddy was wonderful_. Kakashi, who had actually followed much more of the conversation than his brother had and was rather shaken because of it, grabbed Obito's arm and shook his head.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to do long division," he said softly, and without preamble tugged his brother into the house. Sakumo closed the door firmly and raised his head proudly, ready to hear the accusations and meet them squarely, dredging up every thought and feeling that had flashed through him when he had made the decision to save his once-genin teammate and sister-in-law respectively, at the cost of his mission's success, to bolster his resolve.

He _had_ done the right thing.

Right?

=/=

"Uchiha Obito-san!"

Obito paused, looking around for the source of the voice. Beside him, Kakashi nodded at a tall, dark-haired man wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and a shinobi vest coming towards them.

"Yes?" the nine year old said bemusedly, unused to people calling him '-san'. The man had dark hair and eyes, and was wearing a shirt that displayed a red and white fan. Kakashi went tense beside him, and Obito realised with a jolt that his must be one of the other people in the village with the name 'Uchiha', like him.

"I'm glad I caught you," the man said. "My name is Uchiha Gin. I won't take up much of your time, I just wanted you to know that you have a place in our family, if you ever need it."

Obito stared blankly. "Uh…thanks, mister, but I have a family."

Gin smiled. "Your mother was my little sister, Obito-chan. I'm your uncle. And your… _father_…" he spoke the word like it tasted bad, "Hatake Sakumo… well, let's just say that there have been rumours around the village about him. If you ever need a place to go, to be safe, the Uchiha compound is just down that road there. You'll always have a place there, with your blood relatives."

Obito was still looking at him blankly. Kakashi, on the other hand, looked murderous. "Leave us alone," he said shortly. Gin shot him an annoyed look.

"Don't be rude," he said, just as shortly. "I was talking to Obito."

"Obito?" echoed Kakashi. "He's gone from 'Uchiha Obito-san' to 'Obito-chan' to plain 'Obito' in the space of two minutes. Let us leave!"

Gin stepped aside silently, letting the so-called brothers walk away, and grinned to himself. He'd been sent, of course, to plant seeds in Obito's head. Mission accomplished.

=/=

"Dad! Dad, help! Daddy, please!"

Sakumo heard the summons from his study and lifted his head. Without even pausing to brush away the shamed tears that he'd holed himself up to shed, he was up on his feet, terror flooding him and chasing away the despair he'd been smothered by.

"Obito!" he hollered back, vaulting over the top-floor banister and landing lightly on the lower level ground and stumbling as one of Pakkun's toys squeaked under his left heel, looking around for the boy who had called for him. "Where are you?"

"Kitchen!"

Other noises were coming from the kitchen too, and Sakumo moved their with shinobi speed, as if he hadn't deteriorated to a husk, a shadow. In the kitchen, his heart just about stopped.

Kakashi was sitting on the bench, blood running down the side and back of his head in steady streams. His grey eyes looked dazed, and he didn't respond to his brother as Obito bustled around him, clearly trying to decide what to do. With a cry of horror, the father was suddenly at his son's side, pulling the little boy close to him to examine the wound. To his very great relief, the chuunin hadn't been seriously hurt on any shinobi standard of measurement – his scalp above and just behind his right ear was shredded with hundreds of shallow cuts, and there were shards of brown glass all through the wound that left a sick feeling in Sakumo's gut.

"What happened?" he croaked, fumbling blindly under the sink for the closest of his many first aid kits – there was one in every room of the house for this very reason. Kakashi just blinked slowly at him, quite possibly concussed, but Obito answered.

"We – we were coming home, and a man – a shinobi, he was outside. We knew him – we'd seen him before!" the Uchiha's eyes desperately begged his father to believe him. "He used to come to our house, so we didn't – we didn't-"

Sakumo closed his eyes briefly. "It's okay, Obito," he said softly, pulling some disinfectant, a pair of tweezers and some cotton swaps out of the first aid box. "I'm not mad: it's okay."

Obito sniffled. "We were just coming home," he cried, tears beginning again – not that they'd ever really stopped. "H-He was there, and he was holding a bottle, and he was saying nasty stuff, and then he saw us and started shouting at us and telling us that you were bad and that we'd end up just like you and I shouted at him to shut up and he came forwards looking really mean and put his hand up to hit me and 'Kashi shoved me but I got tangled up and we both fell over and then the man _hit_ 'Kashi with the bottle and it shattered and there was blood I was screaming and 'Kashi screamed and he just kept _hitting _him and- and-" Obito broke off and started to cry in earnest. Sakumo felt as though his chest was being constricted, as though breathing was impossible, and he once again looked at his birth son.

"I'm so sorry, 'Kashi," he murmured, guilt crushing him. "I'm so sorry, my son."

Quickly, he pulled the glass from his child's head, more relieved than he could measure when Kakashi started responding, flinching and grumbling and yelping at the stinging of the antiseptic the father applied.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Sakumo asked when he'd patched up the boy's head. Kakashi shook his head, face scrunching up as he lifted a hand to his forehead.

"I'm tired, Dad," was all he said. Sakumo shook his head.

"You can't sleep, Kakashi. You have a concussion. We're going to the hospital in a minute, but you have to stay awake. Understand?" Kakashi made a face, but nodded.

"Okay."

Sakumo knew he shouldn't do it. He knew – _knew –_ that this can of worms was best left unopened. But he couldn't help but twist the knife, just a little. Growling out a "Stay put," to his woozy, injured child, he straightened and brushed past Obito, heading out the kitchen door that had been flung open, moving into the garden to stand by the swinging gate.

Slowly, dreading finding out the identity of this man his children recognised, his eyes dragged up and down the road. Just as he'd suspected, there was still a figure present, standing on the corner just like Obito had said, staring at his own hand as if he couldn't quite work out what had happened.

Sakumo just barely caught the sob before it wrenched itself out of his throat at this last, terrible blow. Kai. His genin teammate, arguably his best friend. One of the two he had forsaken his mission for in the first place, beginning this whole mess. That man had attended his wedding, been there when Kita gave birth, had volunteered to be his partner on dozens of missions, had fed Sakumo at least as many times as he'd conned Sakumo into feeding him. _Kai_.

It felt like the final blow after a long assault, and Sakumo felt his knees give way. He dropped to the ground, bending forwards in his agony, one hand stained with his son's blood coming up to cover his eyes and forehead. That was it, it was over. There was no way out of this mess. Even _Kai_ had forsaken him, had attacked his _children_.

Oh gods – his children! They were being assaulted, right on their own street, all because of him.

_Your fault, Hatake Sakumo. It's all your fault._

They were ridiculed, ostracised. His _sons_. All because of that stupid, stupid decision on a mission that had nothing to do with them. Sakumo's free hand went to his chest, gripping his shirt to feel for the weight that _had_ to be there, the bindings crushing him slowly like the most brutal form of execution. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't even gather the strength to raise his head. If he could breathe, he'd be screaming, demanding to know why it had all worked out like this. Obito… he should never have taken Obito, never married Masa. Now her lovely name was tainted by affiliation to him and the child wasn't safe anywhere, not even walking from the park to his home, well inside the village walls. And Kakashi – oh, why had _he_ been left with them? So much better, for the child and the village, if Sakumo had somehow managed to trade places with Kita. If he were dead, he wouldn't smear Kakashi, wouldn't cause him to be hurt, wouldn't –

Something froze, and Sakumo drew in an icy breath as he spotted a glimmer of light, a glimpse of an out. Death. Yes, if he were gone, his children would be better off, he'd regain his family honour and the village would be a better place.

If he were to die, everything would be better.

The tightness in his chest loosened as he reached this conclusion, and suddenly Sakumo could lift himself out of the dirt, using the gate to haul himself to his feet. _Yes_, he thought, pulse quickening a little in excitement at the thought that he had found a solution. _Yes, that's it. But when? Tonight? No… I have to prepare for it. I must check my will, make sure my sons will be safe after I'm gone… write a death poem… clean my blade… buy some sake for a last drink… tomorrow night. I'll do it tomorrow night._

Mind made up, he cleaned his face off as best he could with his sleeve and turned back to the house, much more composed than he had left it. He did falter for a moment when he reached the kitchen door: Obito was standing in the doorway, looking up at him with eyes that seemed to pierce right through him, calculating and a little alarmed, as if the nine year old had actually realised what his father meant to do.

_Forgive me, Obito_, Sakumo thought, though he knew there was no way the imperceptive child had figured it out. _You will understand one day._

Sliding past his eldest, he returned to Kakashi and lifted the groggy child easily, ignoring both the protest and the way Obito's eyes lingered on him unwaveringly.

"Come on then, kids. Let's head to the hospital."

=/=

Obito darted out of the hospital waiting room, moving at full speed despite the three discrete nurses who shouted for him to slow down. Kakashi was having his head looked at by a medic, and Dad had gone with him, leaving Obito in the waiting room. Only the Uchiha wasn't planning on just waiting around.

Within five minutes, he'd made it the two blocks to the Hokage Tower and was standing in line at the reception desk. A tense ten minutes passed while he shuffled ever-closer to the man behind the desk.

Finally, it was his turn. He stood on his toes to see over the desk and said, "Please, sir, I need to find Jiraiya – Jiraiya of the Sannin."

The man looked bored, but checked his scrolls anyway. "Jiraiya of the Sannin has been deployed to Hishikanto. He is expected back in Konoha within two months."

Hishikanto was a small settlement about a day's run from Konoha. Obito shook his head desperately. "You don't understand!" he said. "I _have _to talk to him! It's important!"

Now the shinobi looked a little concerned. "Why, kid?" he asked more gently. "What's the big emergency?"

Obito felt tears prick his eyes and his lower lip wobble, and he began to twist the hem of his shirt anxiously. "I – I don't know exactly," he said, "But I think something bad's gonna happen to my dad, and I just – Jiraiya-sama knows him, so I thought maybe he could… help."

The shinobi behind the desk, faced with a now-crying child wailing about his father, quickly folded. "Okay, okay, kid," he said. "Look, I'll tell you what. We have falcons that take messages for us, see? You write what you want to say to Jiraiya onto a scroll, and we'll send a bird to find him. Jiro!"

Another man seated across the room looked up. "Yes, sir?"

"Take this boy and get him a messenger falcon. Let him send a note to Jiraiya of the Sannin, in Hishikanto."

"Yes, sir!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Obito said in a rush. The shinobi smiled thinly and waved the boy to follow Jiro.

Obito wrote his smudged note in an interesting mixture of kanji and katakana, and sent it away with a big brown bird that looked at him with pretty golden eyes. After thanking Jiro profusely, he took off back to the hospital again, making it back to the waiting room barely ten minutes before Dad and Kakashi came back, Kakashi with a crisp white bandage around his head and permission to go home and sleep. Obito jumped to his feet as they came into the waiting room, searching Dad's face, though for _what_ he wasn't sure.

Dad was smiling, seemingly unaware of the whispers that surrounded him as the other patients waiting realised who he was and began hissing insults. He was lively when he took Obito's hand, bright when he said, "Let's head home, huh?" and at ease as he led the way.

It was terrifying. Obito didn't even need to search to see the truth hidden under the thin mask of life – something dark and dangerous and threatening, something that he had seen form a few hours earlier in the garden, though he had no idea as to what it was. He tightened his grip on his father's hand, holding on for all he was worth. He didn't know what else to do.

The next day passed in a blur. Dad seemed distracted all day, sending Obito off to the Academy without a lunch and hurrying Kakashi out the door to meet Minato-sensei as if afraid that the punctual boy would be late. Obito found it hard to concentrate in school, somehow feeling like something was looming overhead.

Unfortunately, his teacher took his distraction rather personally, and made the boy stay after school. By the time Obito was allowed to go, it was nearly a quarter to five, and he ran for home without even a hint of a dawdle.

When he got there, he almost wished he hadn't. Dad wasn't rushing anymore, though he still seemed distracted himself. He was just as cheerful (_something'_) as he had been yesterday at the hospital, and Obito slid into place at the dinner table quietly and watched the charade, the horrible façade of happiness and familial bliss played out around him. Kakashi didn't seem to notice anything off, even commented under his breath to his brother that he was glad that Dad seemed happier while he tied up a kibble bag that he had probably opened to feed Pakkun earlier. Obito just closed his eyes against the sight and hoped the bad feeling in his belly was wrong for once.

=/=

It was well past midnight, but Obito was lying awake in bed. Beside him, Kakashi was sleeping peacefully, curled on his stomach, but such restfulness refused to come to the Uchiha. No longer able to stand it, the elder child carefully slid out of bed and tiptoed across the floor, reaching the door without a sound and wincing as the door itself creaked as it swung open.

"'Bito?" Obito froze and swore silently. Kakashi had woken up. "Where're you going?"

"Gonna get water, 'Kashi-nii," he whispered back. Kakashi made a sleepy noise of amusement.

"Y'know that'll just mean you'll be up again in, like, three hours," he said, rolling over and curling up to go back to sleep anyway. Obito sighed with relief and made his quiet way downstairs, getting a cup of cold water from the sink and sipping it.

After a long moment, he decided that he would crawl into Dad's bed, like he used to do when he was much younger. He'd ask Dad what was wrong and Dad would tell him and then fix it and everything would be okay.

Mind made up, the little Uchiha slunk back up the stairs, creeping past the room he shared with Kakashi – no doubt if his brother heard him, he'd think that Obito was merely heading for the toilet in a pre-emptive strike against further wandering tonight. But Obito went right past the bathroom door and approached Dad's door, which curiously enough was ajar. Pushing it open, Obito had a moment of panic to realise that not only was the room empty, but the bed was still made and looked completely untouched.

Backing out of the room, Obito looked further down the corridor at the last door on this level: Dad's study. There was a tiny, flickering light creeping out from under the door – a candle? Had the power gone out?

Carefully, aware of the taboo that it was to do so, Obito crept closer until his hand curled around the doorknob. There he paused, seriously considering just going back to bed – Dad would be _mad_ at him for coming into his study without permission – but that _thing_ he'd seen in Dad's eyes haunted him, urging him to just twist the knob and throw the door wide.

Before Obito knew what he was doing, the door banged against its adjacent wall and he was in the study. He only made it a step or two before freezing, totally horrified.

Dad was kneeling in the centre of the room, a space cleared just for this occasion, watching a candle flickering before him. His sandals were gone, as was his hitai-ate, and his Fang was shining, oiled and – most horribly – in his hand. A small scroll had been unrolled beside the candle, and even upside-down Obito could tell it had a poem inscribed upon it.

Obito was not the most intelligent person there ever was. He knew that. He was also far from being an idiot, and recognised what was happening. It was like something out of a horror movie, and he felt bile rise in his throat, seeing his father kneeling calmly in the midst of an improvised seppuku ritual.

Grey eyes slowly rose from the flickering candle flame to lock gaze with the child. Sakumo's mouth set in a determined line, and Obito realised with a chill that his appearance hadn't deterred the man at all – he wasn't even going to pause to try and warn his son out of the room. Seeing the Fang move, flashing in the candlelight, and desperate to do _anything_ to stop its journey, Obito did the only thing he could think of.

Sakumo blinked as he was splattered with something very cold and was quite abruptly soaked. His hand jerked, dropping his Fang, and reached up to feel the water dripping through his shirt dumbly. The alcohol he had consumed to make this easier buzzed in his veins, making things harder to compute, but he quickly worked out that Obito had just upended a glass of water over him, like one would chastise an erring dog.

"…Obito…?"

"Jerk! Bastard! How dare you!"

The adult was completely unprepared to be assaulted, but Obito threw himself at his father, face black with a type of rage he'd never seen on the boy before despite the tears that streamed in abundance down both cheeks. His arms snapped up to fend off the boy even as he tumbled backwards. Obito kicked at the Fang viciously, sending it skidding away under the desk, the began to hit every bit of his father he could reach, screaming all the while.

"How _could _you? How _could_ you? You were going to _leave_ us here _alone_! How could you do that to us? Jerk!"

Sakumo was bewildered, mind much slower in his depressed and drunken haze, and he feebly tried to push the child away even as he accepted, even relished the physical assault he was enduring. He was a shinobi, and Obito's grief and fear-fuelled blows weren't enough to do damage or even really hurt, so he didn't struggle as much as he might have. Somehow, as the two writhed on the floor the attack became a desperate embrace, raging gave way to weeping and pounding fists loosened for an instant to grab hold of fistfuls of cloth.

"D-Don't l-leave us, never never never," Obito sobbed into his shirt.

"I have to," Sakumo replied desperately. "It's the only way to-"

"DON'T LIE! IT'S NOT!"

"…Dad?" Obito and Sakumo both looked around to see that the third member of their family had been roused. Kakashi was standing in the doorway, overlarge sleeping shirt slipping down over one shoulder, hair mussed from sleep. His injury was still bandaged up nicely, and his eyes were wide in a way the normally-drowsy boy rarely looked. His eyes flicked around the room, the genius in him quickly putting things together. One small hand reached up to his mouth.

"I heard… I thought… don't," he begged, looking at his father. "Don't."

Sakumo looked between them, calculating. He'd never intended them to know, much less see, his death. It would be undeniably cruel to make them watch, or to send them back to their room to sit awake and listen to his cries as he died.

"Okay," he agreed, gathering Obito close and adjusting himself so that he was sitting cross-legged. "Okay. Not tonight."

Obito sagged against him with relief – probably didn't notice the clause that Sakumo had written himself. Kakashi on the other hand gave him a look so betrayed that his heart twisted, but he _had_ to do this. He _had_ to.

Just… not tonight.

They sat there for hours. Kakashi eventually clambered into his lap as well, the three of them pressing close like they were about to be torn apart. Sakumo watched the candle wick burn lower, the flame eventually snuffing out. Then he watched the dawn slowly creep light across the room – his back was to the window, so he just watched the shadows on the door creep away. His sons were still in his arms, neither one sleeping, each afraid to move or nod off lest their father left them. Kakashi was much more tense than his brother, interestingly enough, though perhaps Obito thought this all behind them now.

Little did Sakumo know that Obito was in fact waiting for someone, an adult who would deal with the situation.

He arrived a little after seven that morning.

"Hel-OOO! Anyone home?"

Sakumo jumped at the familiar voice, and a slight frown creased his brow at the friendship and warmth in those words. There was a silence, then a slightly more panicked, "Sakumo! Where the hell are you?" echoed as heavy footsteps lumbered up the stairs.

A moment later, Jiraiya was filling the doorway. His face paled to the shade of rice paper and grew very grim at the scene before him, and shook his head. "Ah, hell, 'Kumo. In front of your kids?"

Sakumo bristled. "They found me," he defended. "They were supposed to be asleep."

"Well thank any god you like that they did," the Sannin retorted, coming into the room and wrinkling his nose at the smell of alcohol. "Get up. Why did you let it get this bad? Why didn't you come to me for help? Why was it left up to your little Uchiha to do it?"

"Obito?" echoed Sakumo as the children were pried from him and he was hauled to his feet by the bigger man. Jiraiya grunted.

"Yes. He sent me a letter telling me what you'd been acting like, saying that he was scared something would happen." The Sannin grabbed the White Fang's jaw to force eye-contact. "I came to help my _friend_," he stressed the word, "deal with this."

Sakumo shook his head just a fraction, all that was allowed by the firm grip the other had on his face. "I don't need a kaishaku," he began, but stopped when he saw the way both his sons shuddered. Jiraiya sighed.

"Kids, get downstairs, get something to eat," he ordered. The children, after a silent conversation with one another, silently obeyed. The Sannin grabbed Sakumo's shoulder and hauled him into the bathroom down the hall, doing a quick check in all the draws and cabinets and tucking anything he found with a blade into his pockets.

"Have a shower, sober up," he ordered the Hatake, and left, disabling the door's lock on the way out and leaving the door as open as it would go. "Close the door and I'll take it off its hinges," he added over his shoulder.

Sakumo sighed: it hardly mattered. He resolved to just humour his friend for a time, and quickly stripped and stepped under the stream of water. It didn't matter if Jiraiya came back and saw him, after all.

Nothing really mattered, actually.

Downstairs, Jiraiya was having a conference with the two sullen children.

"Okay, kids, here's the thing. What you saw last night was awful. It should never have happened, and you shouldn't have been the ones to have to stop it. I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry I didn't get there in time to do it for you. But I'm here now, and I will stay until your dad is no longer at risk of…" he trailed off: the kids knew what he meant, anyway.

"…How can you?" Kakashi asked eventually, eyes down and fingers drawing meaningless patterns on the table top. "He'll just wait til you leave, then… do it."

Jiraiya ran a hand through his long hair. "You dad's not very happy at the moment," he said. When _both_ the boys snorted at that comment, he realised that he'd started too young and adjusted his speech for their age level. "I think – I'm not sure, I just got here – but I _think_ that what's wrong with your father is less an overwhelming feeling of needing to recover his family honour and much more a case of debilitating depression. Sakumo, he'd think his family honour was tarnished if he _hadn't_ gone back for his teammates, which is why he did it, understand? I think that the treatment just got to him, but we're going to help him, okay? It's all going to be okay. You won't lose your dad to this, I promise."

Jiraiya never broke a promise.

=/=

Sarutobi guessed his student was in town. He had several clues pointing to this assumption, the first of which was in his hand, a complaint from the management in place in Hishikanto. Apparently Jiraiya had packed his bags and left without so much as a by-your-leave to _anyone_. Not surprising.

The second clue was the complaining he'd overheard on his morning stroll through the village regarding the women who'd been taking baths in the bathhouse and the unscrupulous nature of some men.

The third and possibly most telling clue was the fact that his door was rattling off its hinges as someone large threw his weight against the wood, hollering loud enough to make it through the noise dampening seals. His ANBU guards kept flickering in and out of the room as one by one they went to deal with the problem before deciding to let his chuunin secretary handle it. Finally, after more than twenty minutes of abuse, the doorjamb was wrenched from its fixings and the entire door including both panels, lock, handles, hinges and jamb clattered to the floor with an interesting squeal and crash that Sarutobi wouldn't have guessed wood could make.

Jiraiya stepped daintily into the room, nonchalantly fixing his collar to sit correctly. "Morning, Sensei," he said congenially, ignoring the chuunin who hopped along behind him, unable to do anything more than splutter outraged noises. Presumably the poor woman had been verbally abusing Jiraiya since the man turned up, but this latest affront was too much for her to articulate. Sarutobi looked up at his student and sighed, setting the complaint from Hishikanto aside.

Yep, he was pretty darn sure his student was in town.

"What can I do for you, Jiraiya?" he asked, choosing to forgo the traditional 'Why are you here?' and 'Why did you leave Hishikanto?' and 'What about your mission' and even 'Stop breaking down my door.' The man's grin faded, and Sarutobi's heart grew cold. Jiraiya opened his mouth to answer – with his usual frankness, no doubt – but paused and frowned at the still-raging chuunin.

"Do you mind?" he said. "This is a private meeting, not just anyone can come barging in."

The chuunin fingered her weapons longingly, looked Jiraiya in the eye and let forth a stream of insults that questioned, ridiculed or verbally disembowelled his looks, family, ancestry, sexuality, professional prowess, finance, hygiene and his mother's fidelity, as well as bringing up the possibility of the poor woman's drabbling in bestiality. Needless to say, Sarutobi was impressed, and quietly resolved to give his little chuunin a raise… and maybe some vacation time.

Jiraiya skilfully chivvied the venom-spewing, pointy-object-fondling female out of the office and bent to lift the door back into position. He attempted to stand it in its place, but the thing overbalanced and crashed to the floor again, making Sarutobi wince. Jiraiya shrugged his large shoulders.

"Huh. Might wanna look into getting that door fixed, Sensei."

Sarutobi sighed again, putting a hand up to nurse his head. "What do you need, Jiraiya?"

His student chewed his lip in a habit as old as the man's teeth, and the Hokage frowned at the display of unbalance. He pointed at the chair waiting before his desk for guests to this office to sit in, and Jiraiya threw himself into it like a man a tenth of his size. The chair creaked its protest. Sarutobi carefully didn't react.

"Sakumo." Suddenly, Jiraiya was all serious faces. "Sensei, last night he tried to kill himself."

Sakumo drew in a sharp breath, horrified. Then he latched onto something his once-student had said and he repeated, "Tried? He didn't… he's-"

"Unharmed. His kids found him before he could do anything," Jiraiya said quickly. He turned his eyes to the large window, gazing out at the village. "Sensei, he's going to try again."

Quickly, the Sannin told the whole story, about how he had gotten a note from Sakumo's eldest, begging for help, and had left as soon as he'd had assigned someone else to handle the most pressing aspects of his mission, arriving to the scene of horror last night. He also detailed how his discussions with Sakumo – in and out of the shower, and at various volumes, incidentally – had led him to believe that Sakumo was suffering from morbid depression.

"He's gonna try again, Sensei," Jiraiya finished. Sarutobi had laced his fingers together and was leaning his mouth against them, listening grimly. "I'm not sure how to help. He needs more than I can give by myself."

Sarutobi nodded. "I understand, Jiraiya. I have held off assigning him missions of late at any rate – I admit to sensing something was wrong, but I completely underestimated the severity of the problem. I will suspend him pending improvement of his mental state, and relieve you of duty as well, to help him, if you want."

Jiraiya frowned. "I was more thinking of 'more help' in the form of drugs and secure facilities, Sensei," he said. "I'm not sure down time'll help here."

Sarutobi reached for his pipe, his mouth grim and set. "There are more things to consider than just Sakumo here," he said. He held up a hand to forestall Jiraiya's explosive reply and added, "I will not have him healed just to watch him break for a second time!"

The younger man paused. "What do you mean?"

"His sons, Jiraiya," the Hokage sighed. "Mental instability – forced containment – chemical interference – all grounds for the Uchiha to lay claim to his children. To _both_ his children. Sakumo has in the past before this clouded his mind expressed to me very clearly that he in no way wished for the Uchiha clan to have any hold over either of those boys under any circumstances. I can't interfere the way you want – it would put black marks on his record that cannot be erased."

"Can't you just-" Jiraiya began to protest, but his elder cut him off.

"No," Sarutobi said firmly. Then he paused. "But I can grant you both – no, I think all four of you, take the children as well – indefinite leave from the village. Perhaps the quieter, more private air in a spa town will do Sakumo some good."

"Spa…?" Jiraiya repeated dubiously, then his eyes widened as he realised the chance being afforded him – an under-the-table way of sticking Sakumo in a room with a lock on the outside and no sharp stuff inside, and forcibly medicating him with antidepressants. He grinned, jumping out of his seat to stand. "Sensei, that might just work. You're a genius."

"It's been said," Sarutobi replied lightly, taking a draw from his pipe. The Sannin plonked himself heavily down again on the poor chair.

"WHAA!" Quite abruptly, Jiraiya was sitting on the floor, the splinters of the chair around him. Sarutobi's hand flew up over his mouth to catch a shout of laughter, resulting in a squeak that couldn't be interpreted as anything _but_ the muffled laugh it was. "That was _not_ my fault!" whined Jiraiya, sounding eight or nine again. "Get better office stuff, Sensei! Then I wouldn't break it all the time." Sarutobi smirked.

"You know, barring the very angry, you are the only one who _ever _manages to break my 'office stuff'. You haven't changed a bit, have you, Baby Elephant-chan?" he teased. Jiraiya's face darkened at the hated nickname – hadn't _that_ caused fits of laughter in Orochimaru and Tsunade when Sensei'd come up with it, the bastard – and picked himself up, brushed himself off and stuck his nose in the air.

"I am going back to Sakumo," he said in an aloof voice, and turned to leave with as much dignity as he could muster.

Then promptly shattered it by stumbling over the door that he'd felled himself. Sarutobi's laughter followed him down the hallway.

=/=

"Pack it up, kids, we're jumping town!"

Three sets of eyes looked up listlessly from the kitchen table at the announcement. Jiraiya waited a moment, then said to Kakashi, "Go pack your stuff, enough to last a while. This whole family's been put on suspension indefinitely until we can sort out Sakumo's head."

Sakumo showed enough life to look annoyed and mutter something childish like, "Nothing wrong with my head… your _face_ is wrong…"

Kakashi shook himself out of his sleep-deprived haze and quietly rose to do as Jiraiya had told him. It was a testament to how weary he was that he didn't question the man at all.

"Obito, you see what you can dig up by way of food around here," the Sannin added. Obito nodded, rubbed sleep out of his eyes and moved to the fridge, then the cabinet, then the pantry in the laundry where extra cans and bags of food were kept: no one had gone shopping in a while. Meanwhile, the adults began a glaring match, a battle of wills that would last the evening, the night when Jiraiya crawled into bed next to his friend in the place reserved for his wife to guard him from himself, the next day, the journey that soon occurred, and all through the next weeks and months of constant care and treatment. Jiraiya would not back down, would use the anger and resentment for his own means, would tease his friend into _caring_ again, if only in a negative way, and _would not lose_.

The consequences of time seeing Sakumo as victor were far, far too severe.


End file.
